- August 29, 2024
- 6:55 pm
- Ukraine
The Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center explained the meaning of the patterns on the walls of the symbolic synagogue “Place for Reflection.”
The design of this unique synagogue is inspired by the rich iconography of the wooden synagogues of the 16th-18th centuries in western Ukraine. Bright colors and images emphasize the beauty of life, while the patterns and prayer texts echo the interior of the ancient synagogues in Khodoriv and Gvozditsa, which were destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.
In Judaism, any image of the Almighty is forbidden. Instead, it is permitted to use plant elements and images of animals, mainly for aesthetic purposes.
On the walls of this synagogue are depicted a lion, a bear, a deer, an elephant, a squirrel, a hare, fish, birds and other animals. Some of them symbolize various character traits of a person, such as wisdom, piety and living according to God's commandments:
- squirrel – the wisdom of the Torah;
- turtledove – the arrival of spring, blossoming;
- an elephant with a temple on its back is a symbol of the Jewish people, who cherish their culture, language, and traditions;
- fish – fertility, generosity of the earth;
- deer – love, beauty of the Land of Israel;
- bear – resurrection;
- hares – the passage of time, fear of the greatness of God;
- the lion is a symbol of self-awareness of the Jewish people;
- leopard – the power of the commandments;
- monkey – fun.
It is interesting that here the present and the future (messianic times, that is, the time of liberation) are simultaneously combined through the depiction of both real and mythical animals, for example, the unicorn.
Also, on August 27, 2024, the Babi Yar MCC published a video on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/babynyar.memorial/videos/26389055957406702/ where you can see unique footage of the building being painted by Ukrainian artists.
Every Friday at 17:00 there is a ceremony of opening a symbolic synagogue, which Kiev residents and guests can see with their own eyes.
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