Herzl Sign

Two small white Magen David emblems on blue background are carved in the Herzl Memorial sign at the house were he was born in Budapest in 1860.

Photography: Tamar Hayardeni

Copyright: Tamar Hayardeni 2008
Source: Hebrew Wikipedia

Joaniki papa Vitanov

My thanks to Rossitza Ohridska-Olson who referred me to this impressive outstanding usage of the Christian hexagram in art works and who wrote to me:

These are 2 Christian icons from the Tryavna School of Icon painting authored by Joaniki papa Vitanov. They were painted in the beginning of his career (the historians put them around 1820). The artist was living and working in the Sliven region in Bulgaria. These  photos are from the site of the Bulgarian Orthodox Christian Church.

Bulgarian Mosaic Floor

A colorful hexagram appears in a 2-4^th century C.E.  mosaic floor excavated at a rich house in the Roman city Augusta Traiana in south Bulgaria. The city was built in 109 C.E.  The mosaic is exhibited at the Regional Museum of History, Stara Zagora.

Copyright 2008 Rossitza Ohridska-Olson - photographer (culturalrealms.typepad.com)

Copyright 2008 Vizantia Enterprises Inc. (vizantia.com)

My new Theodore Herzl Group on Flickr

Recently, I got a few dozens well-selected images of Theodore Herzl from Graphic designer Hayim Shtayer who collects such images for many years, I thought it could be a magnetic center for many other Theodore Herzl enthusiasts, so I opened a group in Flickr dedicated to Theodore Herzl items -  see:

http://flickr.com/groups/899548@N25/

The above photo is an invitation (from Hayim Shtayer’s collection) to an Independence Party on 2003. Caption under the blue (what else?) Magen David is: Even Herzl didn’t believe.

Copyright: Hayim Shtayer 2008

Intolerance

In Lesnovo Monastery (the Church of St. Archangel Gabriel), Macedonia, there are three circles. Rugs cover two of them, and in the picture we see the third, which is uncovered. The local monk told Rossitza Olson while she visited there that the Star of David is uncovered so that Christian visitors would have the opportunity to step on it and by that to reject Judaism.

This issue of stepping on the emblem of Judaism is quite popular and “jumps” each time one sees the six-pointed star on the floor, like in the Temple Mount at the 7th century C.E. Dome of the Chain, or in the case of Vans shoes. Anyhow Anti-Semitism is no news…

Copyright 2008 Rossitza Ohridska-Olson - photographer (culturalrealms.typepad.com)
Copyright 2008 Vizantia Enterprises Inc. (vizantia.com)

Coffee Haggadah

Magen David on 1938 Hagadah 

Issued by General Foods Corporation to promote Maxwell Cofee sales

Copyright: Alfonzo 2008

Thanks to Dobush who referred me to this image  

Messiah Obama

There are inter-religious expectations that Obama will save the world as the Messiah. Tradition has it that the Messiah would come on a white donkey.

In this Photoshop photomontage I added gold embroidery of a six-pointed star since this symbol is:

1. Connected to the Messiah (and to the House of King David)
2. An inter-religious symbol adored by Muslims Christians Hindis and Jews for generations.

Picture of U.S. President Obama is courtesy of “craynol” from Flickr

Picture of  a white donkey is courtesy of “hoyasmeg” from Flickr