Israeli’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen at the opening session of the 19th Israeli parliament, held at the Chagall State Hall on February 05, 2013.
The Chagall State Hall was designed and decorated by Jewish artist Marc Chagall (1887-1985). Chagall designed for the hall 12 floor mosaics, one wall mosaic and three Gobelin tapestries.
The central tapestry (in the picture) expresses the connection between the people of Israel and God with Eretz Israel, and the attachment of the people of Israel to the idea of the ingathering of the exiles.
The central figure on this tapestry, Moses, is seen twice: during the giving of the Law and during the travelling of the people to the promised land. The tapestry describes events from the history of the people of Israel in the diaspora, from the Exodus from Egypt to an image of a burning village, representing the Holocaust. There’s also Aharon the high priest, facing the seven branch Menorah – which is also the symbol of the modern State of Israel. In addition King David is seen playing the harp, and behind him God’s bride – “Knesset Israel.” (Source: knesset.gov.il)
That’s a lot of imagery for one tapestry, even a big one. Missing are Samson fighting the lion, Joshua stopping the sun in the sky and Elijah taking to the heavens in a fiery chariot.