A yellow clipping from an old newspaper, in which she wrote about the first gift the Knesset of Israel received from a Jewish community abroad, led to a journey around the world to solve one of the ancient Knesset mysteries.
For many years now, the entrance to the new wing of the Knesset has housed a seven-branched bronze lamp, with spectacular decorations that resemble the temple lamp.
For years, the menorah stood without anyone knowing who made it, or how it came to the Knesset even in its first Mishkan in Beit Frumin.
Recently, as part of the investigation into the establishment of the Knesset Museum, the museum's staff encountered a small newspaper clipping, reporting on the arrival of a special lamp from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to the port of Haifa - a lamp designed for the Knesset building.
The incident, which took place 70 years ago, was swallowed up in the many news items, most of which dealt with the struggle against the reparations deal from Germany and the demonstrators who came to protest in the Knesset.
Disclosure of historical detail,
Global research
This newspaper clipping aroused the curiosity of the museum's staff, who began a global investigation that included cross-referencing details with the archives of the Jewish community in Argentina, and thanks to it, a story was revealed about one of Argentina's great mobilization projects for Israel.
Dr. Moshe Foxman Shaal, director of the Knesset Museum, told Israel Today that after the return of the first Knesset Speaker, Yosef Shprintsak, from his first and historic visit to Argentina, which excited the tens of thousands of Jews who accompanied Shprintsak on his journey, the Bnei Brit decided "Argentina, which was one of the main organizations of the state's Jews at the time, to open with a special fundraiser, in order to recreate the temple lamp, whose looting by the Romans symbolized the destruction of Jewish sovereignty, to be placed in the new Hebrew Parliament in central Jerusalem."
Dr. Foxman Shaal explained that the appeal aroused great enthusiasm among the Jews of Argentina, and that the amount collected at the end was double what was needed to create the lamp. , While the other was sent to Jerusalem.
At the end of the investigation, it became clear to the members of the Knesset Museum that the task was assigned to a local Jewish artist named David Sabi - an artist whose name was not mentioned before - who was known for his design abilities.
The two lamps Sabi made have a fascinating story.
40 years after the additional lamp was placed at the Argentine embassy, a car bomb exploded, causing the building to collapse on its four floors, but miraculously - the lamp was found inside the ruins intact and intact.
After gathering the new details about the lamp and the artist who created it, it was decided in the Knesset to place a special commemorative plaque at the entrance to the new wing of the Knesset to be inaugurated this week, on the 70th anniversary of the menorah, in an event attended by Knesset Speaker MK Miki Levy , CEO of the global Bnei Brit organization and members of the delegation of the Conference of Presidents visiting the country.
MK Miki Levy // Archive photo: Oren Ben Hakon,
"Proud of membership"
Ahead of the ceremony, MK Miki Levy said that he was very excited about the unveiling of the commemorative plaque, which is important not only for revealing a significant historical detail in the history of the Knesset, but also for the strong connection between Diaspora Jewry and the Knesset.
"Locating the name of the artist who created the lamp is very important to us. For years his identity was a mystery, and now it has been resolved," said Chairman Levy. The deep friendships between Israeli Jewry and the Diaspora. "
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