Obj. ID: 39420  Bag of holy earth from Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, circa 1950

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 Mount of Olives, from 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. Since the address here is written Israel, it is a continuation of the earlier custom during the first years of the State of Israel. There is another object in the Gross Family Collection that is the same bag, but the address is written Palestine (130.015.006).

Inscription: U-Kfar Admato 'imo; Chevrah Kadisha ha-Rashit veha-Klallit le-'Edat ha-Ashkenazim, shames Isaac Nissenboim