Peki'in

On the Israeli 100 NIS banknote there's a picture of the synagogue in Peki'in, and a view of this western Galilee village. Peki'in is a symbol of the conservation of the Jewish ember since there are a few Jews whose families never went to exile. Parts of this synagogue are two thousand years old and there's a Star of David on its walls.

 I also found a Hebrew description of a travelers track to Peki'in where the author says that this synagogue was built in 1873, and its walls are checkered with remnants of stone relief such as: Shofar, Lulav, Etrog, pan and Magen David. 

 

 

Israeli National Photo Collection

I found a few interesting Stars of David on the Israeli National Photo Collection website:

1. On a Jewish national blue box, from USA 1960's.

2. On a poster for the 41 years of independence.

3. On a door in Peki'in village.

4. Formed by soldiers in the center of the Ramat Gan stadium during a rehearsal of the IDF pageant.

5. On the outfit of a Japanese boy belonging to the "Makoya" sect.

6. On the floor of a church in Rome, Italy.

7. On the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv on new year's eve, 31/12/2001

8. On a rock excavated at the 4th century synagogue at Samua in Judea. I found another photo on another website but here the description was slightly different: Eshtamoa synagogue from the 5 - 6th century located in the village of Eshtamoa near Hebron.

Magen David

After reading Uri Ofir's research about the origin of the Jewish Star of David my friend Avinoam Damari sent me a poem in Hebrew which I translate and publishe here - before the original poem will be published on a Hebrew website. I guess that's some kind of a precedent...

The Nation Knew the Shield Patch
David, Jakob, Israel facing the human oppressor
The nation knew the liberty flag
All the names were gathered to make a state.

Shield has a shape thousands of years old
Menorah, 40 years in Jewish desert
Sacred dwelling of a wise knowledgeable king
One menorah and ten white lilies.

Only in the holy land white lily grows
Six points the scent of kingship
Wonder menorah made by the Lord
Entered as an image of Magen David into a coin.

Cohen, Levy, king, prophet and the founder of the state
Knew sward, trial, wheat and water in the wilderness
Nation found a country deserted from symbol and model
Stranger's gate that imprinted the shield of kingship.

Fire, air, water, earth, these are the points
Man and the woman intertwined together for ever
Upper point looks at dreams and emotions
Lower point seizes the earth in purity and dirt.

Winds blow with direction and wisdom
One who will look will recognize a scent and a flavor
Hidden corner no one knows
Hidden deity hides a secret from human eye.

Magen David from immemorial code tabernacle and Menorah
Magen David from a flower, noble lily
Magen David before the sage's interpretations and applause
Magen David raised high in the flag Jews for ever will salute

Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Synagogue

Professor Jonathan Sarna wrote about the Star of David on his book American Judaism: A History (ISBN 0-300-10197-x) that German immigrants brought the star of David with them to America, and in 1845 it was built into the windows of the new Baltimore Hebrew Congregation synagogue building (pp. 106-07).

This is a clear cut answer to the question: when did this symbol arrive to America. I had less luck finding when did this symbol arrive to Yemen (although I called up a research center of the Yemenite Jews in Natania) or to the Cochin Jews (although I called their museum in Nevatim). 

1845, Architect: Robert Cary Long

Lloyd Street Synagogue, Baltimore

Laser

Menahem Ben Ari Berman, Head of the Department of Silverware and Judaica Design in Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, designed in 1985 a work titled “With All Thine Heart” for the Nerot Mitzvah Exhibition at the Israel Museum.

"It is made of six programmed laser beams that form continuously the Star of David in the rhythm of the heart bit, and is based on the idea of the copper serpent in the Wilderness as thought in the Mishnah".

Salt

I like websites that are dedicated to one subject (like mine). David Bloch dedicated his website to Salt. In a chapter titled "Religion" I found his description (and pictures) of the usage of straws in the shape of the Star of David to produce salt. For example: in the days Israelites had been in exile in Egypt, before the exodus.

Another example (and picture) is from Andrews, A. P. (1983) "Maya Salt Production and Trade" (Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson).

 

Artifacts

Yair Davidiy sent me a list of links to those of his Brit-Am newsletters that mention Stars of David. In "Brit-Am Now 432" I found a very interesting info wrote by James Trimm about a bass relief sculpture of King Jehu and about a magen david with YAH written in Hebrew in it that  dates to the time of the Judges and was found at Gibeon (From the book THE NAME OF GOD by James R. Harris p. 205).