Tim Nachum Gidal and the Vision on Mount Meron
הגליל הוא מקום קדוש
On the subject of פרופ' אלחנן ריינר- הגליל הוא מקום קדוש
German-Israeli photographer Tim Nachum Gidal visited Meron in 1935. He caught this Chagall-like moment. Perhaps notes of Bruno Schulz who was painting, writing and sketching at the same time in Western Ukraine, anticipating his death. Anticipating the death of the entire culture. Chagall-like Jews flying in the sky sans diamonds.
The chosid looks directly at the photographer, and hence at you, with no visible emotion. We know and feel there is a great storm on the inside. The curvature of the cupola echos the round ball of the full moon. We grasp an intimate moment. The arch of the body is pivoted, pliant, and rests on the round roof of the mountain burial. The man in black contrasts with the bright, globe-like, luminous sphere of the sacred spot. The circular plan of the grave embraces the Kabbalistic circle of death. A gradient of mysterious light shines through the glistening night sky. We witness more than a prayer..
This photo went on Kedem auction for $700 in 2012, and didn’t sell! What can I say…