Jewish Tradition on Tearing Down Statues is Complicated

Jewish Tradition on Tearing Down Statues is Complicated
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

We Jews aren’t big statue fans. You know, that second commandment and all: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”

I remember back in the 1970s when my father, the beloved rabbi of a Baltimore synagogue that attracted Jews of all backgrounds, received a large, heavy package, a gift from a congregant. He brought it into the house, read the note of appreciation and opened the box. His face became a mixture of shock and disgust. In the box was a stone replica of Michaelangelo’s “Moses,” complete with horns (the artist’s famous misunderstanding of “koran ohr panav”). The leaden lawgiver was hastily removed from the house, never to be seen there again.

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