Facilitating Data Mining: Tagging the Digitized Montefiore Testimonials

Judaica Europeana Digital Humanities Workshop31 October 2011, British Library

Dr François Guesnet

Sidney and Elizabeth Corob Reader in Modern Jewish History

Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies

University College London

f.guesnet@ucl.ac.uk

Testimonial to Sir Moses Montefiore, UCL Special Collections, Montefiore Papers, prel.cat.# 79

Transcription Testimonial # 79

Description and observations # 79

• Description:• 18,5x23cm• vellum• single page• ink• professional scribe, the name of Jehudit in gold script• text address square hebrew script; place, date and signatures in rashi• red seal with stamp and inscription ‚hevra nashim’•  • Observations:• The trustees of a women’s philanthropic association in Warsaw make Yehudit Montefiore their honorary president,

and vow to follow her example.

Description and observations # 79

• With the help of God

•  

• In a gathering we all agreed today to declare the pious lady Baroness Yehudit Montefiore the head of our association. May she serve as the leading example of our association, in it and among us, and in all the good deeds for our poor sisters in Israel here [in our community]. May her mercifulness be an example before our eyes which teaches us to do like her, and may from today all our actions take place in her name. Thus spoke the women administers of charity, association of women from here, [our] holy community.

•  

• Warsaw, 1846

Preliminary schema for defining document content

• Date– Hebrew– C.E.

• Place– on document– variants– English

• Size – cm x cm

• Number pages– numerical value

• Material – vellum y/n– cardbord y/n– paper y/n– Including textile y/n– textile y/n

• Languages– Hebrew y/n– English y/n– Italian y/n– German y/n– Hungarian y/n– ...

• Script–Hebrew square y/n–Hebrew rashi y/n–Hebrew current y/n–Roman y/n–Print y/n–Current y/n–Illuminated y/n

•Signatory/ies (transcription only)•Name(s)

•Congregation•Name•Name translation

•Scribe(s)•Name

•Decorator/designer•Name

•Decoration•Iconographic elements

•Figurative•Ornaments...

• Reference Montefiore•4th Moses y/n•Honorary funtion y/n•Travels and visit M.M.•100th birthday

• Impact Montefiore•Charity•Civilization, progress•Defense fellow Jews•Observance, piety•

• Mentioning Judith Montefiore•y/n