Sefer ha-Hayyim (The Book of Life): Congregation Agudath Achim of Bay Ridge [Brooklyn, NY], 1932–1958

56 leaves (16 ½ x11 in.; 420 x 280 mm). Final 25 leaves blank. Written and illustrated by hand in ink and gouache on heavy card, some highlights in shell gold. Initial five leaves elaborately illustrated in vibrant hues, backed in silk; tissue guards bound in; each leaf individually hinged. Some of the subsequent leaves illustrated by other artists; several signed W. Gottesmann. Some light marginal stains. Black morocco, gilt-stamping to spine and front board, silk doublures.edges gilt; extremities worn.

Congregational memorial volumes derive from the centuries old Ashkenazic tradition of memorbuecher,  handwritten manuscripts that include lists of deceased community members, a tradition begun in the aftermath of the massacres of Jewish communities during the Crusades. Originally, these volumes incorporated memorial prayers, and the names of the deceased were read aloud on the Sabbath before Shavuot (anniversary of the Crusade massacres) and on the Sabbath before the Ninth of Av, the perennial Jewish day of mourning. In time, some congregations began to create another type of memorial book to record the deaths of community members. Some, such as the present volume, featured elaborately decorated pages, dedicated by surviving family members. This large memorial volume commemorates the passing of members of Congregation Agudath Achim of Bay Ridge between the years of 1932–1958.