The fashion, history, and development of Jewish dress tells a story that spans the globe and crosses many cultures. In this colorful volume, Jewish communities—particularly those established for centuries in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa—are revealed through their garments. Stunning photographs spin tales of family traditions and religious devotion, with a special section dedicated to jewelry worn by brides and grooms. Superb photographs of specific garments, with many close-up details, are juxtaposed with rare contextual photographs from the Israel Museum’s archives to create a tapestry of a people revealed through textiles, costume, and images. More than 350 revelatory illustrations tell us how these precious articles of dress were originally worn.

Esther Juhasz teaches Jewish folklore at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at Haifa University. Daisy Raccah-Djivre is curator of the Jewish Wardrobe project and chief curator of Jewish Art and Life at the Israel Museum. No’am Bar’am-Ben Yossef and Ester Muchawsky-Schnapper are curators, Alia Ben-Ami is collection manager, and Efrat Assaf-Shapira is assistant curator, all in the Wing for Jewish Art and Life at the Israel Museum.