A stone-carver’s thoughts on tradition and symbolism

By Ruth Ellen Gruber A few days ago, I posted this picture of a tombstone-carver, taken in Ukraine in 1916. Tombstone carver at work, 1916 (image from Bildarchiv, National Libraray, Vienna) The one finished tombstone that you can see is very simply carved, but clearly painted in at least three colors. It also appears that [...]

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More thoughts on candlestick typology

  By Ruth Ellen Gruber The basis of this project is the collection of photographs of candlesticks on Jewish tombstones that I myself have taken, in Romania, Ukraine, Poland and elsewhere. These images show a vast range of artistry, skill and invention in the portrayal of the candlestick motif in denoting Jewish women. But they [...]

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