Our hearts with Israel

With our hearts, thoughts, and fears focused on Israel, we post two images of Jerusalem that we hope might symbolise hope amid the unprecedented horror.

They are the mural of Jerusalem found in the private synagogue in Będzin, Poland, which has been restored under the auspices of the Brama Cukerman Foundation. The synagogue was founded in the 1920s by Nuchim Cukerman, the owner of the large apartment building where it was located, for the use of his family and others in the building. During and after WW2, the prayer house was ravaged, used as a warehouse and eventually as an apartment, its murals painted over..

The image above shows the mural of Jerusalem restored to its pre-Holocaust splendor.

The second picture, below, shows the violated painting in 2009, before restoration. 

Our hearts are bleeding at the murderous violence, and we send our sympathy and support to the families and loved ones of the victims — and also to all our friends, colleagues, and others who, we know, are going through such painful, difficult, and uncertain times. 

We dearly hope for an end to the violence and that, like this ravaged mural, peace and beauty can prevail.