Artwork Description:
Thus Danced Our Fathers Shoshannah Brombacher 2016 Aqua pencil pastel on paper
The religious Zionist poet Isaac Lamdan 1899-1954 made aliyah in 1920 and in 1926 penned his epic poem about the siege of Masada, one of the last Jewish strongholds against the Romans and the site of fierce and brave resistance. Such Jewish resilience became the inspiration of generations of oppressed Jews. In Lamdan’s work the chorus sings the following lines, which inpsired me to make this drawing:
“The chain is still not broken, from father to child, from fire to fire, the chain continues. Thus danced our fathers, one hand on a neighbor’s shoulder, the other holding a scroll of the law. A people’s burden is raised with love. So let us dance, one hand gripping the circle, the other clutching our heavy book of sorrow, so let us dance. When our fathers danced, they closed their eyes and wells of joy were opened. They knew they were dancing on the abyss, that if they opened their eyes, the wells of joy would turn dry. So let us dance too, with our eyes closed. Thus shall we continue the chain, lest it crumble into the deep, so let us dance too.”
Masada, From: Milken Archive of Jewish Music