MAY GOD LET HIM GROW: A Child's Birth in the Culture and Customs of Bohemian and Moravian Jews. Text by Dana Verselska, et al. Published by the Jewish Museum in Prague, 2009.

A book on vintage JEWISH CIRCUMCISION TEXTILES used in BIRTH CEREMONY RITUALS from 1668 to 1930.

ILLUSTRATED with COLOR REPRODUCTIONS of over 100 CIRCUMCISION TEXTILES, most printed on fold-open pages. Also illustrated with color photographs of items related to the Jewish birth ceremony ritual.

Softcovers, French folds, 9x8 inches (22x21 cm) oblong, 312 pages.

NEAR FINE condition, slight pushing to the cover corner tips, overall tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. A lovely, very presentable copy.

From the Publisher:

******This book is the result of almost five years research undertaken between 2004-2009 by staff at the Jewish Museum in Prague on the DONATED CIRCUMCISION TEXTILES used by Bohemian and Moravian Jews. These textiles were acquired from collections both in the Czech Republic and abroad. These are circumcision textiles that were used in actual birth circumcision ceremonies.

Catalogs 1,328 circumcision textiles,with brief descriptions that include translations of their Hebrew dedicatory inscriptions. Illustrated with over full color illustrations.

Features a specialist study on the ceremonies that are connected to the birth of a child in the culture of Bohemian and Moravian Jews, as well as three other specialist studies that provide a detailed analysis of the Torah binder, made from the swaddling cloth used at a boy's circumcision.

There are also indexes of the forenames and surnames of the donors (i.e. the boys who were circumcised or their parents or grandparents) and an index of the localities mentioned in the dedicatory inscriptions. A unique register of circumcisions from 1668 to 1930.

This book / catalogue provides an important resource for anyone interested in Jewish circumcision rituals, textile art, and/or genealogy.******