Scholars discover that the home is a panoramic window into Jewish culture and history.
From the urban apartment with Judaic art on the wall, to the dorm room with ZBT t-shirts piled in the corner on top of a box of last year's matzah, to the suburban ranch house with a Christmas tree topped with a star of David, the Jewish home is perhaps the most diverse but universal of Jewish institutions. The tents of the ancient Israelites bear little resemblance to high rise apartment complexes that form the modern Tel Aviv skyline. Yet no matter the time or place, the home has always been a center for Jewish family, education and culture. Photograph by John Reed Forsman. The highly personal and private nature of the home, however, makes it difficult for researchers and scholars to study its inner workings.