Obj. ID: 39423
Sacred and Ritual Objects Bag of earth from the Holy Land, Jerusalem, circa 1930
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 idendified by a hand written inscription as containing dirt from the holy place of the Mount of Olives from the 1920’s Jerusalem. 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. Most of such bags were printed with both a picture of the holy place and an inscription. In this case the bag of earth has been labeled with a hand done inscription in ink. This is an example of the bag before it has been filled with earth.
Inscription: Efer Har ha-Zeitim