Correcting The Record About Museums
After reading Rachel Kovacs’s article “Museums Must Be Fully Historically Accurate, And We Need To Speak Out When They’re Not” (Sept. 6), in which she cites examples of British institutions purposefully not attributing a Jewish origin or contribution for items on display, I need to offer a correction regarding two items Kovacs declares must have a Jewish background due to the Star of David image depicted.
Most Jews mistakenly believe that the Star of David is a symbol that has represented the Jewish people for thousands of years, possibly going as far back in time as the 10th century BCE, during the rule of King David, where according to folklore, he depicted this hexagram on his shield in battle.
But this is not the case. While there are Stars of David featured as decoration in some ruins of Roman-era Synagogues, there are swastikas(!) seen in these ruins as well. Occasionally, during the Middle Ages, some Kabbalistic texts featured different types of mystical symbols, including the repeated use of the Star of David. However, it was not until the 14th century, in Bohemia, when the Jews of Prague asked the king if they could be represented as a distinct, loyal group of citizens by having their own banner, which featured a Star of David, that this hexagram slowly began to take root as a symbol of Jewry, differentiating them from Christians, whose symbol was a cross.
It was not until the early 19th century, however, that most European Jewish communities began identifying Stars of David with Judaism, from synagogue decoration to personal objects. Finally, in 1897, the Star of David was solidified as the symbol of the Jewish people when it was presented on a proposed flag at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland.
I completely agree with the museum descriptions cited in Kovacs’s article, namely the Roman-era bowl with a Star of David stated as having “pagan origins,” and an 11th-century gold piece of jewelry from Cordoba with a Star of David, where “no Jewish connection is mentioned.” I respect Kovacs’s passion for Jewish historical recognition, but accusations of prejudice must be backed with facts, not assumptions.
Tsadik Kaplan
New York, N.Y.
Editor’s Note: Tsadik Kaplan is a collector, certified appraiser, and speaker/lecturer on the topic of Judaica; he writes The Jewish Press column “Antique Judaica Roadshow.”
Star Of David Wasn’t Always Jewish
I am writing regarding Rachel Kovacs’s article on historical accuracy at museums. Whilst I fully agree with her when it comes to the importance of historical accuracy in the interpretation of museum artifacts and I fully support her important efforts to inform museums when they omit Jewish contexts from their exhibits, unfortunately in several described cases, Kovacs’s was incorrect in her interpretations.
What we now call the “Magen David” did not become closely associated with Jews until the late medieval era. In the ancient Roman world, the most common Jewish symbol found in synagogues was the seven-branch Temple Menorah, and there is archaeological evidence that the six-pointed star was broadly associated with ritual magic. Therefore, the British Museum’s Roman artifact containing a six-pointed star was very likely to be pagan in origin. As for the V&A’s 10th-11th-century solid gold necklace, the six-pointed star was considered a protective charm by all major religions (when it was known as the Star of Solomon) at the time. Therefore, its owner was just as likely to be a Moslem or Christian (far more, given the population numbers) as a Jew.
That said, I encourage Kovacs, and others, to continue to contact museums when they have any concerns, as there are certainly those who would be very interested in minimizing our contribution to society.
Jodi Van Laven
Via E-mail
The Holocaust Is Unique
Re: “Tim Walz: Anti-Israel Protesters ‘Speaking Out For All the Right Reasons,’” Sept. 6): As the media further delves into Tim Walz, I wanted to point something out. How to teach the Holocaust well has occupied Walz for decades. In 1993, while teaching in Nebraska, he was part of an inaugural conference of U.S. educators convened by the soon-to-open U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Eight years later, after moving to Minnesota, he wrote a thesis arguing for changes in Holocaust education. And as governor, he backed a push to mandate teaching about the Holocaust in Minnesota schools.
Through it all, Walz modeled and argued for careful instruction that treated the Holocaust as one of multiple genocides worth understanding.
I often write about the uniqueness of the Holocaust and state that the Holocaust is completely different from other genocides. This position is controversial to some people. There are those who believe that the only way to preserve the memory of the Holocaust is by making it a universal lesson regarding the tribulations throughout the world.
Whether I am right or wrong, only our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will know. Many years from when the last of the Holocaust survivors are gone, I predict that regardless of Yad Vashem, the United States Holocaust Museum, and all the other museums and books, the memory of the Holocaust will not be preserved. It will be regarded as just another genocide in the history of genocides.
Unless we preserve the memory of the Holocaust and tie it to Jewish observance and ritual by including the Holocaust in prayer service or, as I have done, creating a Holocaust siddur and haggadah, the Holocaust will become a mere date in history. It has to be tied into a revitalized Judaism to keep it alive.
I for one, at this point in my life, no longer stress the pain, suffering, and horrors of the Holocaust. Today I speak of the importance of learning about the heroic individuals who survived the Holocaust to make better lives for themselves and their families. Many Holocaust survivors have created synagogues, yeshivot, and day schools and still support them financially.
We need to learn about those who resisted the Nazis, not only about the crematoriums. The memory of the Holocaust will be kept alive by future generations if we have pride in the accomplishments of the survivors and preserve Judaism.
Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg
Edison, N.J.
Abbas’s Terror Brigade
Your August 31 news article “Car Bombs Explode at Gush Etzion Gas Station and Karmei Tzur” (www.JewishPress.com) reported that a car bomb attack was committed at a busy intersection in Gush Etzion region. An important additional detail is that the group which claimed responsibility for this attempted mass murder was the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a division of the Palestinian Authority’s ruling faction, Fatah. The chairman of Fatah is PA head Mahmoud Abbas. If Abbas was sincerely interested in peace with Israel – rather than destroying Israel – he would jail the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade terrorists, outlaw their group, and cut off payments to their imprisoned members. The fact that he refuses to take those steps reveals his true face and makes a mockery of claims that he is Israel’s “peace partner.”
Moshe Phillips
National Chairman, Americans For A Safe Israel
New York, N.Y.
Keeping A Bygone Taste Alive
I really enjoyed the reprint of Arnold Fine’s (a”h) “I Remember When” article in the August 30 issue of The Jewish Press (“Trains, Hockfleish, And Seltzer”). It was always great when he wrote about the food of his youth and the smells associated with his mother’s preparations of those foods.
Fine said that there was nothing like the smell of chicken schmaltz and garlic. I get the same reaction when I make gribbennes. People who live in my condo come down to ask what I’m cooking. They all say that it smells great and the taste is incredible. I had a friend from shul who hadn’t had gribbennes since his grandmother passed, over 40 years ago. After I gave him some, he said that he almost cried when he ate it. He felt like he was a little kid, sitting at his grandparents’ table.
Making gribbennes is a dying art, which I have perfected over the years. Each artist picks his or her own medium in which to work. My medium is gribbennes. My “paint” is schmaltz, raw chicken skins, fresh garlic and onions, my “easel” is a 13.5-inch cast-iron skillet, and my finished “masterpiece” is the gribbennes itself. I would be happy to share my special “patented” and “trademarked” technique with anyone interested in learning how to create this treat.
Harold Rose
Via E-mail
