Wrapping cloth for carrying objects, known as "Mizrah-Supra"; made from a Challah cover printed in Jerusalem, "Souvenir Gift from the Holy City of Jerusalem". [Printed in Jerusalem; Jerusalem-Georgia, early 20th century]. Hebrew and Yiddish.
Print on fabric.
A Challah cover printed in Jerusalem, which served in Georgia as a wrapping cloth. Illustrations of holy sites, a Menorah, and other images are printed onto this cloth alongside prayers for the Sabbath and festivals and on behalf of the poor in the Land of Israel (cloths such as these sold as souvenirs of the Holy Land in the late 19th and early 20th century and were distributed throughout the world, reaching far and wide).
In Georgian, cloths such as these are termed "Mizrah-Supra," (with "supra" translating as "tablecloth"). Bands of additional fabric were sewn onto the edges, enlarging the surface area, so that the cloth could be used to wrap up and carry small objects, as was the case with the "bokhcha" cloths commonly used for carrying objects in Georgia, the Caucasus, and surrounding regions.
83X73 cm. Good condition. Stains.
Purchased in Israel from a family of Georgian origin.
Reference: Facing West: Oriental Jews of Western Asia and the Caucasus, item no. 188 (from the city of Akhaltsikhe, Georgia).