This section describes the most important rituals associated with the life cycle of a religious Jew. The very first rite performed for infant boys on the 8th day after birth is circumcision, or Brit-Milah. The first collage from the entrance to the hall illustrates it. This procedure is strictly regulated. The baby is dressed in a special outfit. Circumcision is made by specially trained person, the mohel, using special tools. Only 13 years later, the boy can be admitted to the next extremely important ritual, which transfer him into another age and social category – Bar Mitzvah. On this day, the boy is called to the Torah in the synagogue and has to read a passage from the text to prove that he is able to be a worthy member of the religious community. For girls, the ritual of reaching adulthood occurs earlier, at 12 years old. It is called Bat Mitzvah.

Another important event in the life of a Jew is marriage. But before that it is necessary to conclude a marriage contract. It is called ketubah. You can see some examples of such agreements on the next collage. They were designed to protect the interests of women. Traditionally, this document enumerated the husband’s obligations, such as providing his spouse with food, clothing, performing marital obligations, and determining the amount of compensation in the case of divorce.

The ritual of marriage itself takes place under a special canopy - a chuppah. Here is a unique wedding canopy - a ghetto chuppah in Mogilev-Podolsk, where up to 5,000 Jews were under Nazi occupation. This relic was donated to the Museum by Gregory (Hirsch) Dolyar, who being child was in the ghetto. This chuppah united young couples who, even in inhumane conditions of ghetto sought to follow the religious tradition of their ancestors.

The next collage on the right is about funeral rituals. Here you can see reproductions of engravings depicting the funeral rite. Below there are the layouts and images of the matzevahs - Jewish tombstones. Traditionally, they contained different inscriptions and were decorated with floral ornaments and images of different animals. On the right there are reproductions of burial sites of famous Hasidic leaders whose graves are located on the territory of Ukraine, being places of pilgrimage for tens of thousands of Hasidim from all over the world. Among them one can see the burials of the founder of Hasidism Baal Shem-Tov in Medzhibozh, Rabbi Nachman in Uman (Central Ukraine), Rabbi Levi Yitzhak in Berdychiv and others.

Sometimes Jewish cemeteries are the only reminder of an active Jewish life that once was humming in Ukrainian towns. The Ashkenazi tradition was characterized by creating special tombstones – matsevot. They usually contained reference to the name of the deceased and a short epitaph. Ornaments and carved elements described the professions, features of the character and godliness of the deceased. Once this matsevah had been placed on the grave of the “Righteous Man Moshe”, but then one of his non-Jewish neighbors turned it into the grindstone. Both ordinary villagers and local authorities unfortunately were involved into the destruction of Jewish cemeteries, using gravestones as building material.

Holidays. In the showcase-room there are installations dedicated to celebrating the Sukkot and Pesach. On the left there is installation of sukkah - is a temporary wooden hut constructed in the yard for the autumn harvest festival - Sukkot. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei (by the Gregorian calendar usually between the end of September and the end of October) and lasts 7 days. According to tradition, during the celebration of Sukkot people spend time in this hut, welcomed guests there and sat at the festive table. You can see special tableware on the table - a collection of kiddush wine glasses and an etrog box. The citrus fruit etrog, together with the branches of willow, myrtle, and lulav - an unopened leaf of the date palm - make up the Arba Minim - four plants that used in the Sukkot rituals.

On the right is the installation of a festive table in Pesach. It is a holiday of freedom dedicated to the exodus of the Jewish people from Egyptian slavery. On the table there are candlesticks and holiday utensils  a silver Kiddush wine glass in the center and small glasses for dispensing blessed wine for all family members. An indispensable element on the Pesach table is ka’arah - a special plate with inscriptions for every dish that is traditionally eat on the Passover. All dishes of Pesach Seder have symbolic analogies to the events associated with this holiday. For example, grated horseradish symbolizes the bitterness of Egyptian slavery, and matzah - unleavened solid bread - is reminiscent of years of wandering the desert.