Next Week Time Magazine Front Page

Thanks to Dobush from Kfar Aza for the following link to Next Week Time Magazine Front Page

 (19.9.2008)

http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20090119,00.html

Depicting Half Star of David with barbed wire.

Strong Nape Tattoo

Hayim Shtayer sent me this Nape Star of David Tattoo  picture along with another picture of a big sign with the words: Strong Home Front makes You Win the War. In Hebrew the same word (OREF) is used for Nape and for Home Front. The common denominator is pride, which seems to return to the heart of the Israelis as a result of the Gaza War consequences.

Picture shot by: Hayim Shtayer

Copyright:  Hayim Shtayer 2008

Star of David Napkin Holder

Star of David Napkin Holder made from:
A Napkin triangle with its point upward;
A Holder triangle with its point downward;
Designed and Produced in Israel by Limor & Yaron
972-54-5331417
Copyright: Limor & Shlomi 2008

Happy New Year in the Middle East

Graphic Designer Hayim Shtayer sent me this card (reflecting the current events in Gaza Strip) with the following explanation:

Yesterday I got this Happy-New-Year-in-the- Middle-East Card, which was designed by my graduate student Natalie Yackoby, who learned in the Wizo Design Academy in Haifa, Department for Graphic Design. In this work Star of David motives are noticeable.

Copyright: Natalie Yackoby 2008
studio: Natka Creative Design

Yin Yang Magen David

The Chinese Yin Yang symbol represents unity of the opposites as well as the Magen David, which represents (among other meanings) the same idea. Here they appear in combination. Combination of symbols like this is a special phenomenon worthy to serve as subject to study, separately from the phenomenon of the symbols that appear next to each other that I mentioned many times when they appeared alongside the Magen David I mean symbols like: White lily, Menorah, Herzl, Amazons’ Shield, Cross, Swastika. Thanks to Dobush From Kfar Aza for directing me to this picture and to the rights holders: Tact-Records.com 2008

Akbar’s shield with Solomon’s seal

This metal shield (click the link) with the zodiac Signs and with Solomon’s Seal framing the date 1594, belonged to the Moghul emperor Akbar (1542 –1605) and it is presented in the British Museum. On the web page of The disciples of Bhagawan Shri Lahari Krishna they write that the hexagram is known for almost all the Hindus in India as a symbol of the arrival of their king, who would unite them and rebuild the Indian nation. The authors of this page go on and tell us that Akbar’s shield reflects this messianic belief, since he put this six-pointed star near Pisces believing that the Indian Messiah is expected to come in February.

This messianic belief (assocated to the hexagram) is amazingly similar to the the Jewish and the Christian messianic beliefs - so the question is where exactly did this belief originate?

Abundance of Solomon Seals in Kyrgyzstan

Picture is courtesy of “retlaw snellac” from Flickr who shot it at Babur's House in Osh.  The decoration on this wall is full of Solomon seals, and what’s interesting here is the connection to King Solomon, since (as “retlaw snellac” mentions under the picture):

1. There’s a legend that the city of Osh has been founded by Solomon or by Alexander the Great.
2. In the center of the city is Solomon's mountain, which got its name in the 16^th century because tradition has it that the prophet Suleyman was buried at the foot of this mountain.
3. There is nearby a little cave with water drops coming from the roof called the tears of Suleyman.

Note: The population of Kyrgyzstan is mostly Muslim.