Prayer shawl?

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I have googled repeatedly with no results, so now I am turning to you. I have something and I don't know what it is, and so far haven't been able to find as answer. This item is the same size, shape and structure of a Jewish prayer shawl or tallit, with beautiful gold embroidery on maroon or burgundy on a crisp white material. The embroidery is of buildings/skyline. There are fringes hanging from each corner, and a burgundy piece of material in the middle of the top of the shawl. This would be the area that goes around the neck in the back. Words are embroidered in gold across this, but it is not Hebrew. My first thought was this may be an Islamic prayer shawl but I am having no luck finding anything that resembles it. I would very much like to learn what this is, so if any of you have an idea please let me know! :help::thankyou:

[iris lilies]

I have googled repeatedly with no results, so now I am turning to you. I have something and I don't know what it is, and so far haven't been able to find as answer. This item is the same size, shape and structure of a Jewish prayer shawl or tallit, with beautiful gold embroidery on maroon or burgundy on a crisp white material. The embroidery is of buildings/skyline. There are fringes hanging from each corner, and a burgundy piece of material in the middle of the top of the shawl. This would be the area that goes around the neck in the back. Words are embroidered in gold across this, but it is not Hebrew. My first thought was this may be an Islamic prayer shawl but I am having no luck finding anything that resembles it. I would very much like to learn what this is, so if any of you have an idea please let me know! :help::thankyou:

Lay it out, take a photo or two, and send it to the Jews in your neighborhood. Maybe send photos to the local temple.

This Jew doesn’t know anything about Jewish accoutrements Or else I would help you.

[dado potato]

Since the embroidery is not Hebrew, could it be Greek?

Could it be a Greek Orthodox prayer shawl?

[Sad Eyed Lady]

IL it is not Hebrew, the writing that is. Also the buildings do not indicate the temple or Jerusalem.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I may be totally off base here, so I can't emphatically say it is not Hebrew. It just doesn't look like any Hebrew characters I am familiar with. But I find it unusual that with all the googling I have done and all the photos I have looked at I can't find anything like it. If I can get a photo or two uploaded here I will.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

2687

[Sad Eyed Lady]

2688
The true color is closer in the photo with the writing on it.

[flowerseverywhere]

The windmill might give a clue. It doesn’t look like any of the Scandinavian samples I could find. I suggest sending Bae a message, he is probably the best bet to know what this language could possibly be. Unless someone who has researched their family genealogy has come across it.

It is beautiful.

[Tradd]

Since the embroidery is not Hebrew, could it be Greek?

Could it be a Greek Orthodox prayer shawl?

"Prayer shawls" are not part of Orthodox practice at all (I'm Orthodox).

Prayer shawls are something I've heard about that seem to be popular among some Protestant folks.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

The windmill might give a clue. It doesn’t look like any of the Scandinavian samples I could find. I suggest sending Bae a message, he is probably the best bet to know what this language could possibly be. Unless someone who has researched their family genealogy has come across it.

It is beautiful.

Thank you. I found it in a thrift store and I am so intrigued by it and what it might be. I too thought the windmill might be a clue but so far haven't found anything related.

[Gardnr]

Is it Jewish? https://jewsforjesus.org/publications/newsletter/newsletter-sep-1993/the-tallit-and-tzitzit/

[Tradd]

The writing on the shawl looks more like Hebrew to me.

[nswef]

Could it be an altar cover?

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Could it be an altar cover?

I am at a loss as to what it could be. I am saying prayer shall because it is identical in size and shape to the Jewish prayer shawl or tallit. The fringes on the 4 corners too also make me think this. The difference is the writing and the scenes embroidered on it. Also it has sequins in the design and I don't think the Jewish prayer shawls do.

[JaneV2.0]

The writing seems to be Hebrew; it's none of the other Semitic languages, as far as I can tell, but it has the hash-mark vowels they all have. Good luck with your detective work!

[Tammy]

I’m betting that some Jews for Jesus charismatic church lady made this thing with in the last 30 years and it’s a hodgepodge of all kinds of ideas that her church was into that time.

[catherine]

I would suggest sending the photo of the lettering to a linguist at a local university. bae or his daughter might be able to shine light on it. I tried finding similar alphabets online and there are just so many alphabets! Jane is right--the marks (diacritical? accent?) offer another clue.

Then I agree that the windmill is yet another clue.

Fun! Let us know what you learn.

[dado potato]

Cityscape could be Jerusalem, including the Montefiore Windmill, c. 1857.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Cityscape could be Jerusalem, including the Montefiore Windmill, c. 1857.

That you! That has given me some direction. The windmill was what was throwing me, but this makes it possible that it is actually Hebrew.

[Selah]

Sad Eyed Lady, this is indeed a tallit (aka tallis), which is a Jewish prayer shawl. The writing is in Hebrew, and is a portion of the standard blessing one recites before putting on the shawl to pray. In phonetic Hebrew, it reads "Asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav, B'tzivanu l'hitateif b'tzitzit," which roughly means "Who blesses us with these mitzvot (plural for "mitzvah") and commands us to wear "tzitzit," or the prayer shawl." The buildings are probably representative of Jerusalem, although the windmill is a rather unusual addition to a cityscape featured on tallit, or possibly Amsterdam, where there was a thriving Jewish community.

[dado potato]

Yay! I knew someone would be able to explain it!

[Sad Eyed Lady]

Sad Eyed Lady, this is indeed a tallit (aka tallis), which is a Jewish prayer shawl. The writing is in Hebrew, and is a portion of the standard blessing one recites before putting on the shawl to pray. In phonetic Hebrew, it reads "Asher kidishanu b'mitzvotav, B'tzivanu l'hitateif b'tzitzit," which roughly means "Who blesses us with these mitzvot (plural for "mitzvah") and commands us to wear "tzitzit," or the prayer shawl." The buildings are probably representative of Jerusalem, although the windmill is a rather unusual addition to a cityscape featured on tallit, or possibly Amsterdam, where there was a thriving Jewish community.

Thank you so much Selah! The windmill was what was throwing me too, have never seen one on a tallit. Do you think with the use of sequins this would be meant for a woman rather than a man? I am not sure of the material but think it may be raw silk.