National 10 (Spotlight Weekly)

Anchor of Affinity

Twenty-five Hebrew manuscripts and scrolls survey the lives and times of Jews around the world

BY BINITA PANDEY

Jewish manuscripts and ceremonial objects are on display at a photographic exhibition organized by the cultural and scientific affairs department and the public affairs division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel at the Siddartha Art Gallery.

Featuring 25 historical manuscripts and scrolls in the Hebrew language, the exhibition, entitled "The Art of Hebrew Script", presents various types of scripts written by both trained scribes and folk artists. Each type is characteristic of the Jews in a specific part of the world. Talma Levin has designed the exhibition, with brochure designing done by Studio Rami and Jacy/Golan. All photographs and replicas are taken from the collection of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Kuber Prasad Sharma inaugurated the exhibition on April 9, which will remain open until April 20. Israeli Ambassador to Nepal Abraham Nir was also present on the exhibition.

The exhibition gives brief descriptions of various Jewish celebrations and festivals such as the Sabbath, Passover and Purim. Sabbath is the seventh day, which is a holy day of rest for all members of the household as described in the Book of Exodus. The festivals of Purim celebrate the deliverance of the Jews from Haman's plot to destroy them. The high point of festivals is the Seder, a festive meal conducted around the family table on the first night of holiday.

The exhibition also includes the Torah Scroll, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ketubbah, Mezuzah, Amulets, Torah Pointer, Torah Shield, Torah Finials etc. The Dead Sea Scrolls are among the most important archaeological treasures ever found in the holy land.

All the items in the exhibition are in Hebrew letters or inscriptions and are either associated with religious customs or used as ceremonial objects in home or the synagogue. The inscriptions, in addition to their decorative and artistic value, serve as historical documentation.

The Hebrew script originated in an ancient alpha bate known as Proto-Canaanite, which came into being around 1500 BCE. The early alpha bate was used by the Israelites and their neighbors in the late second and early first millennium BCE. By the eighth century BCE, another script known as Aramaic, had branched off from the early script, and was soon in use throughout the near east.

The Judaeans who had been exiled to Babylonia in 586 BCE, adopted this universal Near Eastern Aramaic script and, when they returned to Judaea, preferred it to the early Hebrew script, which was retained only by the Samaritans. The Aramaic script known as Assyrian in Jewish tradition came to be known as "Square Hebrew Script."

Hebrew script remains conservative, and even in modern times there has hardly been any change in the basic shapes of letters. Although one can discern variations among the different Jewish communities throughout medieval and modern Jewish history, the modern reader can read Hebrew script of any period, from the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls on.

After the revival of the Hebrew language and the flowering of the Zionist movement in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, followed by the establishment of the state of Israel, the need arose for New Hebrew lettering and typography. Modern Hebrew calligraphy begins in the early twentieth century, not long after the modern Latin calligraphy movement in Europe.

The decorations accompanying the texts were influenced, like most Jewish ceremonial art, by the art of the countries in which they were produced. The letters were shaped and styled according to the material on which they were inscribed; this accounts for the slight differences between them and letters written on paper or parchment.

"The exhibition will be an opportunity for the Nepalese to know about the rich cultural heritage of Israel," said Minister Sharma. "Culture has been a unifying force for the countries of the world. The culture ties bring countries of the world together in friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation. Such programs will help both the countries to know and understand each other's art and culture," he added.

"The Hebrew language has been a live link between the Jewish people all over the world. The bond between the Jewish people to their ancient roots has never been disconnected because of Hebrew language," said Ambassador Nir.

(Pandey is an intern with SPOTLIGHT)