Questions linger in the air. What stories does this monumental sculpture whisper to those who pause before it? This is the Knesset Menorah. It is not merely a decoration. It is a visual textbook of Jewish history.
The Knesset Menorah stands opposite the Knesset building in Jerusalem. The Menorah is a gift from the British Parliament. It celebrated Israel’s eighth anniversary of independence in 1956. Benno Elkan designed it. He was a Jewish sculptor who fled Nazi Germany.
Imagine Elkan spending almost ten years researching and creating this masterpiece. His goal was to tell the millennia-old story of the Jewish people. The Knesset Menorah stands 4.30 meters high. It is 3.5 meters wide. It weighs 4 tons.
The design is based on the Temple Menorah from the Arch of Titus in Rome. That arch depicts the Roman triumph over Jewish rebels. They carried treasures from the Second Temple including the Menorah.
Look closely at the bronze reliefs. They depict the struggles of the Jewish people. They show formative events and concepts from the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history. The six branches portray episodes after the Jewish exile. The central branch shows the journey to the modern State of Israel.
Edwin Samuel approached Benno Elkan with the idea. He was the son of the first British High Commissioner to Palestine. He wanted to offer the sculpture as a gift. It would symbolize the British Parliament’s admiration for the new state.
Funding was difficult initially. Lord Samuel established The Menorah Fund Committee. They raised funds in various ways. Donors could contribute to specific reliefs.
For example WIZO financed the relief of Ruth and Rachel. Marks and Spencer financed the Apocalypse relief. Baron James de Rothschild funded the Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai relief. The Association of Jewish Ex-servicemen funded the Bar Kochba relief. Israel Electric Corporation funded the light relief.
Concerns arose from religious groups. They believed copies of the Temple Menorah should not be made. Jewish law also prohibits human and animal sculptures. It violates the Ten Commandments. Some figures’ nudity was also a concern.
Proponents argued it was not a ritual object. Therefore it did not create theological problems. The sculptures were reliefs. They were not fully three-dimensional.
Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Izaich Halevi Herzog ruled the Menorah acceptable. Its arrival in Jerusalem did not provoke any protest.
The Menorah arrived in Haifa in March 1956. It was transported to Jerusalem free of charge. Thousands attended the dedication ceremony on April 15 1956.
Clement Davies spoke at the ceremony. He hoped the Menorah would be a symbol of light. Yosef Sprinzak expressed gratitude for the gift.
In 1966 the Knesset Menorah moved to its current location. Elkan wanted it displayed indoors. He wanted lights illuminating it from above. This would highlight the details of the reliefs.
The Menorah presents 30 reliefs. Elkan saw these as the most important events in Jewish history. He arranged the reliefs to contrast or complement each other.
Consider the central branch. It displays events central to Jewish history. It starts with the war against the Amalekites. It continues with the Ten Commandments. It includes Ruth and Rachel. It depicts the Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones. It culminates with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It shows the Shema Yisrael prayer. It ends with the founding of Israel.
The outer branches present contrasting figures. Jeremiah is opposite Isaiah. The Maccabees are opposite Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai. The Chassidic movement is opposite the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain.
The inner branches display more contrasts. Shimon Bar Kochba is opposite King David. Messianism is opposite Ha’apala. Jacob is opposite Abraham.
Some criticize the Knesset Menorah. They call it a pale imitation of Western art. Others see it as a symbol of the Jewish people and history.
The Knesset Menorah stands as a testament to survival. It is a symbol of faith. It is a reminder of the enduring spirit of the Jewish people. Take a moment to appreciate its beauty. Reflect on its profound message.