***UPCOMING EVENT***

Maimonides
one of the greatest Jewish scholars in history, has influenced Jewish life for generations.
 The Golden Path
 exhibition contains an unprecedented collection of rare Maimonides documents and artifacts -- some never before displayed in public -- including manuscripts signed in his own handwriting and a carved 11th century door to the Torah Ark from Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue. The Golden Path explores the life and impact of this philosopher, jurist, physician, scientist and communal leader, providing a deeper understanding for those familiar with Maimonides and a comprehensive introduction for those who are not.
PRESS RELEASE
A ground-breaking exhibit of extraordinary items, some never before displayed in public,
including spectacular manuscripts in Maimonides’ own hand, make up The Golden Path:
Maimonides Across Eight Centuries, a new Yeshiva University Museum (YUM) exhibit,
running May 9 to Dec. 31, 2023.
Artifacts with a personal connection to this great Jewish luminary include a Mishneh Torah
(code of law that revolutionized the study and practice of Judaism) signed and personally
approved by Maimonides; a fragment from the Cairo Genizah with Maimonides’ signature and
other fragments in his hand; and a volume of his commentary on the Mishnah, containing notes
written by Maimonides and a well-known sketch of the Temple Menorah, which may have been
drawn by the sage and has in recent decades become the model for menorahs used in public
Hanukkah celebrations across the world.
“This exhibit reflects Maimonides’ influence as well as his core values which also form the
worldview and aspirations of Yeshiva University,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of
Yeshiva University. “The basis for our educational enterprise is epitomized by Maimonides’
religious leadership and intellectual quest for truth. Yeshiva University is honored to introduce
the journey of Maimonides’ works to the broader community who through this exhibit can better
develop their knowledge of Maimonides, Jewish history and the values on which to build their
lives.”
Also on display will be the first major public viewing of the exquisite, illuminated manuscript of
Moreh Nevukhim (Guide to the Perplexed), completed in 1349 and in private hands for 500 years
until it was acquired by the Italian government. Art historian Evelyn M. Cohen described the
manuscript as “a masterpiece of medieval book art” and “a tour de force of calligraphic
sophistication.” 
Beyond written work, visitors will see a beautifully carved 11 th -century door to the Torah Ark
from Cairo’s Ben Ezra Synagogue, which Maimonides himself used when he lived in that city.
“There is not a single aspect of Jewish life and thought that is not shaped by Maimonides,” said
Dr. Ronnie Perelis, the Chief Rabbi Dr. Isaac Abraham and Jelena (Rachel) Alcalay Associate
Professor of Sephardic Studies at Yeshiva University. “This exhibition’s strength is in its ability
to bring to life the way Maimonides’ ideas illuminated Jewish life throughout the diaspora and
for generations after his death.”
An unprecedented partnership with international collections, the exhibit is the most impressive
collection of Maimonides artifacts ever to be displayed together, and the first to focus as much
on the man himself as on his impact and influence.

Curated by Dr. David Sclar, the exhibit is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue co-
published by Liverpool University Press. The book explores Maimonides’ authority and impact
as well as the Mediterranean and Islamic contexts in which he lived, and includes essays by
world-class scholars from institutions such as Princeton University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben
Gurion University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Amsterdam, the
University of Haifa, the University of Oxford, and Yeshiva University.
“Arguably, no other individual has had a more pervasive or enduring effect on Jewish religious
life over the last millennium than Maimonides,” said Sclar. “This exhibition is intended to
convey not only his importance, but the ways in which people have shaped and been shaped by
his impact.”
Among the pieces that will be on loan to YUM are important and rare examples—such as 13th-
century Yemenite manuscripts, early printed books from Italy and the Ottoman Empire, and texts
produced by and for Christian audiences—from the Hartman Collection, the most significant
private collection of Maimonides manuscripts and rare books; and spectacular manuscripts, some
in Maimonides’ own hand, borrowed from the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford, the British Library,
the National Library of Israel, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Royal Library in
Copenhagen, the Italian State Archives, and others. 
This exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Robert and Debra F. Hartman. The
Leon Levy Foundation and a private family foundation both provided generous grants to support
this project. Additional support was provided by the David Berg Foundation.
To attend the exhibit, go to the YU Museum at 15 West 16 th Street located in the Center for
Jewish History building. The exhibit is free and open to the public Sundays through Thursdays.
To find out more about the exhibit: https://www.yu.edu/golden-path​