Picture of Magen David is from the painting workshop of Israeli Mandala expert Ofira Oriel. Participants were religious women. The workshop was dedicated to learning about the meaning of the Magen David along with creation, and prayer to find inner balance and peace, which are symbolized by the Magen David.
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Copyright: Ofira Oriel 2008
The Israeli Decoration for British Mandate Prisoners has a blue Star of David on the background of a jail. Picture is courtesy of Tal Inbar. This decoration is granted to underground anti British Mandate prisoners who spent more than 6 months in jail.
Stars of David appear on a series of artworks (shoulder straps, medals and ranks) by Israeli artist Drora Weizman who wrote in the caption for her exhibit “March” in Tel Aviv Artists’ House on September 2006 (Treasurer : Daniel Kahana Lewinson):
In the beginning of the summer I collected the obsolescent shoulder straps of my domestic soldiers in order to put on them pencils and colors, in the spirit of the bible verse about swords into plowshares and shoulder straps into pens. I wanted to praise and to adorn, and on the way to let some steam out. I wanted folly, and some fun; I wanted to move the subject from its gloomy source; to end a chapter, to call for another order. To do an act of insurgence, and at the same time to say thank you. Victory Marsh to survivors!
Suddenly, a war broke up in the north (in the south it was all the time on low fire). It was clear that there’s a new need to prepare new shoulder straps and ranks to mark the ups and downs of the national moods.
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Copyright: Drora Weizman 2008
I like the direction Drora points upon. Hence everyone can imagine to himself shoulder straps according to his own personal taste and needs. I, for instance, imagine shoulder straps of the Israeli futuristic army of peace, and on them the word peace without quotation marks in different languages and with psychedelic colors.
Tattoo of a Star of David with flames on the waist of a muscular Hebrew man (on his chest appears the Hebrew word for Hebrew).
Picture by Alan Miller
Copyright: Alan Miller 2008
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This crescent with six-pointed star on an old stamp sent to me by my dear friend Stephanie Comfort is not a future symbol of reconciliation between Islam and Judaism but an Over Print on a Turkish stamp.
My friend Dobush from Kfar Aza asked Moshe Rimer from collectors Forum in Tapuz what’s the story behind it and Rimer answered that the stamp was issued originally in 1892 and its value was 10 Para; then it was over printed in red in 1897 and its value was 5 Para. Then it was over printed again in 1915 (WWI) with the crescent and six-pointed star; then again with 5 pointed star as a result of accepting the protest of religious leaders against the six-pointed star; then again by Arab authorities in 1920.
Yoram Blumann sent Dobush the following comment:
Hexagram on Turkish stamps
During WW1, current Turkish stamps [i.e. part of the vast stocks of stamps held in store] were overprinted each year for use during that year. This was probably a 'security' or 'economic' measure. The 1915 [really 1331] print consists of over 100 different stamps- same as 1916 and 1917, but in those years it was 5 pointed star pentagram. I do not see anything really special in using the hexagram symbol on the overprint; after all, it's use in classic Arabic and Coptic literature designs etc is fairly widespread.
See my Non-Jewish Star of David stamps album on Picasa
Stars of David appear on an artwork by Israeli artist Drora Weizman (b. 1956) titled Tabernacle (2007). We see the cover of an old notebook, which belonged to Drora’s son. In Hebrew, the big letters Eran are the initials of Mental First Aid, and Drora wrote me that these initials inspired her to create this work, because it seems that Israel needs Mental First Aid.
IMHO this work will stay actual forever because in every generation, there will be a need to stop and ask if the State is still sane. Anyhow, to keep asking the question seems quite normal…
Copyright: Drora Weizman 2008
