Obj. ID: 39416
Sacred and Ritual Objects Bag of earth from the Holy Land, Jerusalem, circa 1920
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
While death and mourning are not generally considered a subject with a lot of graphic expression, within the Jewish tradition there are quite a few examples. Such things as memorial poems, burial plot receipts, Yahrzeit memorial plaques, etc. gave ample scope for artistic creativity. The customs surrounding this sad time of life gave birth to graphic design.
Traditionally, it has been the dream of every Jew to be buried in Jerusalem. At the beginning of the 20th cenury someone developed an idea for all of those for whom such a buriel was impossible, who were nearly 100% of the Jewish population from that time. This object is a bag of earth, printed with the picture of the holy place of the Valley of the Tombs, from Jerusalem of the 1920's. The bag was sent abroad to be placed under the head of a deceased Jew, so that it is as if he were buried in the holy city of Jerusalem. This is a sort of spiritual pilgrimage to tie the deceased to the Holy Land. The text has words in German as well as Hebrew and Yiddish, indicating that it is probably among the earliest examples of the genre.
Inscription: U-Kfar Admato 'imo