Not long ago the Van Leer Institute in our neighborhood had a viewing of a documentary about Spinoza followed by a discussion. The poster used to advertise it, when I saw it there in front of the Van Leer, puzzled me at first. I thought some hot-head had attacked the poster with red paint. But in reality the poster was made with the defacement already included. Reading the Hebrew you see it means “The Excommunicated.” His name was in fact crossed out of public records by people who strongly objected to his philosophical views. Which of his statements led to his excommunication? Nobody seems to know. For someone who talked so much about God, you wonder why he was called an atheist by so many.
Go here and you can see a brief preview of the movie in Hebrew, but don’t worry, it does have English subtitles. I learned that a death mask was taken when he died. Of course they used to do this a lot, still it was very striking to see how he must have looked. It seems very alive, to tell the truth. I was fortunate to live awhile in Leiden, not far from some of the places where he lived out his life, and I suppose that was the reason I read a biography of him not too long ago.
Meanwhile, I noticed in our neighborhood a defacement of a different image, that of the illustrious Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson, believed by some to be an up and coming savior, or at least he will be if he can manage to come back from the dead.
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| The back side of a traffic sign on Gaza Street, Rechavia |
Another question is, Who done it? Both [1] the (historically) unbelieving population of Rechavia as well as [2] the increasingly visible religious believers in other branches of Judaism besides the Chabad could have their motives. I might have never looked up to see the defaced posters if I hadn't seen the blood-like color splattered on the sidewalk.
Both the Philosopher and the Rabbi were condemned by a lot of people around them. That much they had in common. Best would be if we could see them as inspirations for developing our toleration and attempted understanding while leaving to one side our own fixed views — inspirations, not targets of our vilification. And of course not as targets of vandalistic zealotry like we see here. Today the real excitement in Rechavia is in the demonstrations every Saturday night. Stop and take a look at the time, it’s nearing the hour for the next one to begin. The newspapers are saying it will be the biggest one yet. Be well and keep safe.
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May 4, 2023:
Oh, and now you can see the complete documentary here. Just double click on the sentence preceding this one.
May 31, 2023:
At another location in the neighborhood, a sticker appears as a countertag on those Chabad posters. It reads as I translate it, “Chabad is a Lie.” Notice that someone tried, without much success, to tear those stickers off. I’ll let you know if more layers are added. And off to the side, notice the high-rise insanity taking place near the city's western entrance (more on that another time).
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| Stickers reading “Chabad is a Lie” tagged on posters pasted on the back of a street sign in Rechavia |
Update, July 3, 2023
In an i24 News video entitled, “How important is Chabad to the Jewish world?” are some empassioned statements for and against the Chabad movement made by various Rabbis and community leaders. See if you can spot Rebbe Schneerson’s face among the many painted faces in the new mural that went up to be admired by arriving passengers at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod.
