A large new mural depicting 4,000 years of Jewish history from the time of creation until the modern era at the entrance to Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport in Terminal 3 was unveiled on Tuesday.
The Algemenier reports that the artwork by Mexican artist Julio Carrasco Breton covers 44 meters (144 feet) and was a gift from Mexico in celebration of the Jewish state’s 75th Independence Day. It was commissioned by the Israel-Latin American Network (ILAN), a foundation that promotes relations between Israel and Latin America, which also worked to bring the mural to Israel following its initial unveiling at the Monte Sinai Cultural Center in Mexico City.
The artwork is titled Am Yisrael Chai, which translates in English to “The people of Israel live.” It shows the creation of the first man and the people of Israel, the Exodus from Egypt, the expulsions from Spain, the Jewish Temple and kingdoms, the Holocaust, the Hasidic movement, and more, according to Ynet. The Israeli news outlet added that the mural also features Zionist activists including Theodor Herzl, Abraham Isaac Kook and Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, scenes of people immigrating to Israel, and the state’s founding.
There are also drawings of Israeli landmarks such as the Azrieli Towers, Weizmann Institute of Science, Hadassah Medical Center, the entrance gate to Jerusalem, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the Knesset building.
Also depicted in the mural are 57 prominent Jewish figures “who celebrate the different achievements and contributions to disciplines such as science, philosophy, arts, sports, among others,” according to ILAN. Those figures include physicist Albert Einstein; a number of former Israeli prime minister and presidents; Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, singers Dana International, Naomi Shemer, Yehoram Gaon and Noa Kirel; and, of course, David Ben-Gurion, founder of the state of Israel and the country’s first prime minister.
“This was a dream,” ILAN President and Founder Isaac Assa told Israel National News- Arutz Sheva about the mural, “to have a mural, a picture, that describes the 4,000-year history of the Jewish people, from Abraham Avinu (our father) to today.”
He called the artwork “a 4,000-year family album of our history,” adding that “nothing like this has ever been created.”
Assa also explained why the airport was chosen as the home for the mural, saying: “It’s important for people from all over the world that come to Israel to understand that our connection to this land is for more than 3,000 years, not 75 years.”
Source - The Algemenier/Twitter - Image - Youtube/screenshot