Saturday, October 27, 2007

Stamp From Trinidad

Trinidad and the hexagram Postage Stamp Gideon from Israeli stamps collectors' Forum named Collect showed me this stamp From Trinidad, which has a hexagram on each of its corners. What is the connection between Trinidad and the hexagram?

E. Turkowski from Antwerp wrote in his article Magen David on stamps, (the Holy Land philatelist, vol III July 1957 p. 738-739):

The philatelic aspect of a thematic collection must… show two headings: on the one hand Israel (and Judaica) on the other non-Jewish items. 

To call any part of our collection “shields of David used abroad” could apply only where such items could be part of our “Judaica”. On all others, six pointed stars have no relation to the Magen David, and, so to describe those figuring, say on stamps of Morocco, is definitely misleading.

E. Turkowski Also  mentions that the appearance of six pointed stars on Trinidad stamps is explained by the fact that Trinidad is the Spanish word for Trinity.  (And the triangles of the six-pointed star represent the Trinity). 

Thanks to Dobush who sent me this article.

Lilien, Half-Naked Herzl -1

zionism-magen-david
Gideon From a stamps-collector's-Forum called Collect brought me Ephraim Moshe Lilien's book Lieder Des Ghetto. The book is from 1902 and it looks old, as you can see in the photo. We see Stars of David and the figure of Herzl in a quite unusual outfit - he is half naked!
Lieder des ghetto in German translates into Songs of the Ghetto. The book was accompanied by poems by an East European Jew named Morris Rosenfeld, who had socialist ideals similar to those of Lilien.

Arkadi Steinberg - Radioactive

Radioactive-magen-david logoSuggestions to change Israel’s emblem that were designed in 2001 by first and second year students in Wizo Design Academy in Haifa guided by Hayim Shtayer and Terry Schreuer; courtesy of Hayim Shtayer.
Designer: Arkadi Steinberg
Copyright: Arkadi Steinberg 2007
I reckon this suggestion gets a new actual relevance since the talks about next world war and the discoveries of new nuclear threats in the Middle East, since it is based on the international sign for radioactivity.