As the vestiges of anti-Semitism fade following the theft and desecration of Georgetown University’s Chanukah menorah in Dec. 2004, the Office of Campus Ministry, Georgetown Hillel/Jewish Student Association and Georgetown’s chapter of the national Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi are joining to commemorate Judaism and establish a lasting mark of Georgetown’s Jewish community on campus.
A Kabbalah-themed event, focusing on Jewish mysticism, was held in the Intercultural Center on Tuesday to inform the Georgetown community of the campaign to install a menorah in the Dahlgren Quadrangle within the next few years.
Local artist Patrick Birge, originally commissioned to design the new menorah by Senior Jewish Chaplain Rabbi Harold White in 1998, after the first of four instances in which the campus menorah was vandalized, showcased his “devotional art”. He discussed his characteristic use of gold leaf to line his pieces’ hollow interiors, which he translates as “a window onto a deeper reality” uniting commonalities among all religions.
“I would call my artwork a contemporary sacred art motivated out of my experience with God, using ancient systems of religious thought,” Binge explained. “I believe fervently in the power of art to build community and express God.”
White, a theology professor at Georgetown for the past 37 years, expressed his goal to transform the quad into an outdoor sculpture garden. He said that the menorah could cost up to $175,000.
“We hope this program will initiate an interest on the part of Georgetown in art and sculpture,” he said.
“Georgetown prides itself on its diverse culture,” White said. “Ethnicities, religions and geographic regions come together. This is a reflection of what Georgetown hopes to achieve, and I love the idea of it being expressed in art.”
Earlier this semester, President John J. DeGioia said he intended to resolve December’s destruction of the menorah.
“It was a deplorable incident,” he said. “With the team we have developed at Campus Ministry, we give our students every possible opportunity to engage in religious dialogue.”
Rabbi Yehuda Berg of the Los Angeles Kabbalah Center, who, according to White, popularized the study of Kabbalah, offered an introduction to its tenets. He paralleled Kabbalistic thought and physics, explaining that Kabbalah teaches followers to discover why and how each came into existence, while physics seeks to explain the origins of the universe. He expressed the belief that people must come to terms with their individual “gifts” and “garbage” in order to find the path leading to happiness.
“In every situation, we have to ask ourselves, am I the cause or am I the effect?” Berg explained to the audience.
Chair of AEPi’s Jewish Heritage Committee and student leader of the menorah project Daniel Sirkin (CAS ‘05) discussed the Georgetown community’s “interest, need and want” for a permanent symbol of Judaism at Georgetown.
“I was very impressed by the great presentations and the great turnout, showing donors we have a commitment to Judaism, interfaith dialogue and this project,” he said.
“Fundraising is basically kicked off from this event,” fellow project leader David Waldman (MSB ‘05) added. “We would like to solicit donors who are interested in sustaining interfaith culture at Georgetown.”
Birge said his design for the menorah intends to express Kabbalistic principles. The work is entitled the Tiggun Menorah, which in Hebrew means “a partnership to repair the world”. The six to seven foot tall structure will include concepts of the burning bush, angels and a Star of David stemming from a tree trunk. The words “I am that I am” will be sculpted in Hebrew among the eight candle holders recognizing each night of the Chanukah holiday.
“I do believe that the medium has to have a message and this does,” White said. “We should be inspired to look inward and find the divine sparks of God. The menorah will be an icon in the sense that it points to the way and inspires everyone who sees it to become partners in peace.”
