Tag Archives: Jews

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Provides Poignant Images of Death and Survival

Museum features art, photographs, posters, testimonials and artifacts

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Imagine, then, hundreds of pictures of young adults, members of society who will all be dead in just a few years. This image is one of many displayed at the United … Continue reading

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The Judaic Tradition of Ethical Wills

Ethical wills have been part of Jewish heritage for generations

An ethical will — also known as a “legacy letter” — is a document that bequeaths not material goods, but ideas and values. For Jewish people, ethical wills are a recognized part of how their faith is passed on from … Continue reading

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Sealing a Gravesite with Stones: A Cross-Cultural Tradition

The ritual of leaving a small stone at a gravesite resonates across Jewish and Christian traditions

Leaving a small stone on a gravesite is a gesture recognizable from Hollywood film, which reflects a centuries-old practice found in both Jewish and pre-Christian European traditions. While the practice has historical and cultural origins, it has in recent years … Continue reading

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“The Unity of Life and Death” by Otto Freundlich

Killed by the Germans in WWII, Jewish artist Freundlich left behind an oeuvre that transcends his unjust death

There’s a prevailing sense of warmth in Jewish artist Otto Freundlich’s The Unity of Life and Death (1936-38). Curved, colorful squares build on one another in the abstract oil painting, inspiring a sensation I can only compare to seeing holiday … Continue reading

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The Paper Clip Project: A Holocaust Memorial

What 30 million paper clips mean in memorializing the Jews in WWII

In 1998, a group of students at Tennessee’s Whitwell Middle School began a unit of study on World War II and the Holocaust. The enormity of the Holocaust resonated with the students, who came to understand the frightening potential of … Continue reading

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