Welcome to First Fruits!

New to our site? Sign up for a free First Fruits Core account and enrich your First Fruits experience.

Sign up for a First Fruits Core account:

  • Access to more online resources and greater connectivity! Premium content, email newsletters and special offers from our Store. Find out more »

I can't remember my login. »

Magazine Articles

Browse, read and study through our extensive library of original articles, from previously published First Fruits of Zion magazines. Updated regularly!

Category: Jewish History

The Knesset Menorah

Seven Branches of Jewish History

One may see this imposing, five meter high, (over 15 foot) bronze Menorah opposite the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) building in Jerusalem. The fine workmanship depicts scenes from Jewish history—spanning the centuries from Biblical times until the miraculous restoration of the State of Israel in our own times. It was created by Benno Elkan, a British sculptor, and was donated to Israel in 1956 by Britain as a token of friendship between the two peoples. In the inscription on the menorah we read: "The idea of presenting the menorah was conceived by Members of Parliament of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in appreciation of the establishment of a democratic parliamentary government in the State of Israel."

The project received support from the leading banks of the UK and large industrial concerns. However, it was funded mainly by small donations received from the people of Britain.

Each of the seven branches carries a number of specific scenes, carved in relief. They are as follows:

BRANCH 1

1. Isaiah’s vision of the End of Days when "they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks…and they shall not learn war any more," and "The wolf shall dwell with the lamb…" (Isaiah 2:4, 11:6).

2. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai. At the height of the civil war in Jerusalem, realizing the city was facing destruction, he took a brave stand and received permission from the Roman authorities to establish a center in Yavneh for the study of Torah.

3. Spanish Jewry enjoyed its golden age under Muslim rule during the 10th and 11th centuries. Jews served in prominent positions in the court; art, poetry and learning flourished, and many yeshivot were established—chief of which was the great yeshiva at Cordoba. In the late 15th

End of Guest excerpt:
Access more valuable online content. Sign in, or register for a free Core account.

Sign in to read more...

Username :
Password :
Forgot your username or password?
  Keep me signed in...

I don't have a Core account.

Create a First Fruits Core account. It's free and only takes a minute.

AN ACCOUNT INCLUDES: Premium online content, Access to our Core catalog, Discount coupons for our Store, Free downloads and newsletters, etc. More info here...


© 2009 First Fruits of Zion. All rights reserved. We encourage you to share this material with your friends for further personal study. However, This material may not be republished, in print, electronically, or any other form without our prior permission. Adapted from Bikurei Tziyon #62 .

For more information about this issue, click here.

Proclaiming the Torah and its way of life, fully centered on Messiah, to today's People of God.

Contact Us

PO Box 649
Marshfield, MO 65706-0649, USA

Telephone +1 417 468 2741
Toll-free 800 775 4807
Fax 417 468 2745

About First Fruits of Zion

Feeds

Copyright © 2012 First Fruits of Zion, Inc., All Rights Reserved | Home | Copyright & Terms | Privacy Policy