Sam Philipe

Last updated
Sam Philipe
SamPhilipe at Tunnel Entrance.jpg
Born
Jerusalem
Known forBiblical sculpture, jewelry

Sam Philipe is an Israeli sculptor. [1] He is known for his sculptures of biblical and New Testament figures. [2]

Contents

Biography

Shlomo (Sam) Philipe (Hebrew : סם פיליפ) was born in Jerusalem to an old Jerusalem family. After serving in the Israel Defense Forces as a combat medic, [3] he spent a year in New York City restoring antique furniture and studying art. [4] When he returned to Israel, he earned a living sculpting animals in chocolate. [5]

Art career

Philipe opened a studio in Jerusalem in 1989. In addition to sculpture, he began to design jewelry and Jewish ceremonial art. [6]

Philipe's sculptures have been presented to government leaders around the world as gifts from the Israeli government. [7] Philipe's statue "Jesus' blessing" was presented to Pope John Paul II on behalf of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. King Hussein of Jordan received a sculpture embodying Isaiah's prophecy of the lion and the lamb; George H. W. Bush, an elephant with the Star of David; and Princess Diana, a guardian angel. Yitzhak Rabin was presented with a sculpture depicting a paratrooper praying at the Western Wall. [8]

Outdoor sculptures by Philipe have been installed at various locations in Jerusalem, and Israel; among them Ammunition Hill [9] and Yad Labanim Soldiers House near Sacher Park. [10] Many of his smaller sculptures, crafted from sterling silver and 24 karat gold, are mounted on polished stone bases using stones from the desert. [11] Philipe often uses blocks of Jerusalem stone or black basalt from the Galilee as pedestals for his work. [12]

"I Love You," Shalva campus, Jerusalem SamPhilipe & I Love You Sculpture.jpg
"I Love You," Shalva campus, Jerusalem

In February 2011, his bronze sculpture "Binding of Isaac" was displayed at Mamilla Mall as part of its "Stories of the Bible" exhibit. [13]

"Mother and child," a sculpture by Philipe, is displayed at the Revi Karuna Memorial Museum in Alleppey, India. [14] His seven-foot bronze statue of the Prodigal son was installed in the museum courtyard in March 2012. [15]

Tree of Life monument, Ma'aleh Adumim SAMPHILIPE-Treeoflife.jpg
Tree of Life monument, Ma'aleh Adumim

"Reut" (Camaraderie in Arms) is a 10-foot bronze on Mount Scopus, overlooking the Judean Desert, depicting a combat medic embracing a wounded soldier. His inspiration for the work was an Israeli army doctor, Uri Freund, who was awarded the IDF medal of distinguished service for going out under heavy crossfire to rescue his wounded commander. [16]

To mark the 70th anniversary of the voyage of the SS Exodus, Philipe designed a memorial sculpture featuring a bronze relief of the Land of Israel. The monument was unveiled at Haifa Port in July 2017. [17]

Philipe's goal is to "reach God through art." He creates sculptures based on Bible themes in the belief that his work transports viewers back to ancient times and allows them to feel a connection to the Bible in their own life. [18]

Selected projects

Sam Philipe working on the Exodus Memorial in the foundry Sam Philipe working on the Exodus Memorial.jpg
Sam Philipe working on the Exodus Memorial in the foundry

SS Exodus Memorial, Haifa 2017

The Exodus, nicknamed the "Ship that Launched a Nation" by writer Ruth Gruber, was an American Aliyah Bet ship that attempted to bring in 5,400 desperate Holocaust survivors. The Exodus' story fundamentally affected the United Nations vote on the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine dividing Mandatory Palestine into two States, one Jewish and one Arab. The sculpture consists of a relief map of Israel with a model of the Exodus anchor. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]

Machal Memorial, Ammunition Hill, Jerusalem 2018

The Memorial commemorates the 5,000 foreign volunteers who helped defend the new state of Israel in the 1948 War of Independence. The rock is adorned with sculpted models of the three military corps that the volunteers served in, Navy, Air Force and Army. . [26] [27] [28]

Anne Frank Children's Human Rights Memorial(s), Ma'aleh Adumim, Antigua, Guatemala, Buenos,Aires, Argentina

Philipe's Anne Frank Children's Human Rights Memorial combines interpretive and realistic art with a life-size representation of Frank sitting at her desk in the secret annex with a bare light bulb hanging above her head as the Nazis march through the streets below. The plaque on the base of the sculpture reads: "Children are the ultimate victims of adult hatred, bigotry, and ignorance." [29]

Anne Frank Children's Human Rights Memorials have been placed in Antigua, Guatemala and shortly in Buenos Aires.

Golan Heights Eagle Menorah, Golan Heights

The large bronze eagle and menorah sculpture is modeled upon the indigenous Golan Eagle and the depiction of the Menorah found in the 5th-century Golan Heights synagogue, Ein Keshatot. Trump Heights and the Golan Eagle Menorah sculpture were dedicated in appreciation to President Donald J. Trump. [30]

Temple Lions, Beit Shean 2019

Inspired by a basalt relief discovered in archeological excavations in Beit Shean and attributed to a local Temple from the 14th BCE.

Departure and Expulsion Memorial, Jerusalem [31] [32]

Based on the iconic image of Jewish Yemenite refugees fleeing in the desert attempting to reach Israel. Inscription: “With the birth of the State of Israel, over 850,000 Jews were forced from Arab Lands and Iran. The desperate refugees were welcomed by Israel. The Memorial was conceived and funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.

Tree of Life, Ma'aleh Adumim

In June 2022, Tree of Life, a 60-ton steel and concrete sculpture based on Kabbalistic symbolism, was installed in Park Shamir overlooking a lake at the entrance to Ma'aleh Adumim. The sculpture, shaped like the trunk of an old, gnarled olive tree, is 18 meters high and 7 meters wide. [33]

Hands of Choice, Tzfat

The Hands of Choice is a memorial in Tzfat created to honor ordinary Jews who chose to save Jews, even at the cost of their own lives. The design is two upturned hands cupping a Star of David. Each facet of the Star has a Jerusalem stone panel inscribed with the names of these heroic Jews." [34]

Monument commemorating 1947 UN Partition Plan, Netanya Shofar monument by Sam Philipe, Netanya.jpg
Monument commemorating 1947 UN Partition Plan, Netanya

UN Partition Plan Memorial, Netanya

Philipe's monument, featuring a giant shofar, was unveiled in Netanya on November 29, 2022, to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN Partition Plan. According to the sculptor, his inspiration was a verse from the Hebrew prayerbook: "Blow a big trumpet for our freedom and let there be a miracle to collect our dispersed." [35]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple menorah</span> Ancient Hebrew lampstand

The menorah is a seven-branched candelabrum that is described in the Hebrew Bible and in later ancient sources as having been used in the Tabernacle and in the Temple in Jerusalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beit She'an</span> Ancient settlement and town in Israel

Beit She'an, also Beth-shean, formerly Beisan, is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m below sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ma'ale Adumim</span> Israeli settlement in the West Bank

Ma'ale Adumim is an urban Israeli settlement organized as a city council in the West Bank, seven kilometers east of Jerusalem. Ma'ale Adumim achieved city status in 1991. In 2015, its population was 38,046. It is located along Highway 1, which connects it to Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area. Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mahal (Israel)</span> Foreign volunteers who fought for Israel during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War

Mahal, more often spelled Machal, refers to the group of overseas volunteers who fought alongside Israeli forces during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Some 4,000 volunteers, mostly Jews but also non-Jews, arrived from all over the world. Mahal is an acronym of מתנדבי חוץ לארץ‎.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Israel</span>

Tourism in Israel is one of the country's major sources of income, with a record 4.55 million tourist arrivals in 2019. Tourism contributed NIS 20 billion to the Israeli economy in 2017, making it an all-time record. Israel offers a plethora of historical and religious sites, beach resorts, natural sites, archaeological tourism, heritage tourism, adventure tourism, and ecotourism. For practical reasons, this article also covers tourism in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the occupied Golan Heights, since it is closely interconnected with the mass tourism in Israel. Over the millennia the Holy Land has been amongst the most visited lands in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superbus (company)</span>

Superbus is an Israeli bus company, which provides intercity and urban service in Afula, Tiberias, Yokneam and Jerusalem.

A mechina kdam-tzvait is an autonomous unit of specialized educational institutions valuing non-formal education and pre-military training in Israel. They are funded and supported by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Defense, as well as by the Israel Defense Forces. As of 2017, there were 46 mechinot, whose mission is to prepare for conscientious service in the army and to educate leaders of local communities that have the ability to affect society and state. Educational program blocks mostly include Judaism and Jewish identity, Zionism, development of leadership skills, volunteering, and elements of military training. Most mechina programs last one academic year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Meron</span> Mountain in the Upper Galilee regions, Israel

Mount Meron is a mountain in the Upper Galilee region of Israel. It has special significance in Jewish religious tradition and parts of it have been declared a nature reserve. At 1,204 metres (3,950 ft) above sea level, Mount Meron is the highest peak in Israel within the Green Line, though many peaks in the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, which was annexed by Israel in 1981, are higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab localities in Israel</span>

Arab localities in Israel include all population centers with a 50% or higher Arab population in Israel. East Jerusalem and Golan Heights are not internationally recognized parts of Israel proper but have been included in this list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avraham Ofek</span> Israeli artist

Avraham Ofek was a multidisciplinary Israeli artist.

Hand in Hand: Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel is a network of integrated, bilingual schools for Jewish and Arab children in Israel. Hand in Hand was co-founded by Israeli Arab educator Amin Khalaf and Israeli American educator Lee Gordon in 1997 with 50 students at two campuses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knesset Menorah</span> Menorah opposite the Knesset in Jerusalem

The Knesset Menorah is a bronze menorah that is 4.30 meters high and 3.5 meters wide and weighs 4 tons. It is located at the edge of Wohl Rose Park opposite the Knesset in Jerusalem. It was designed by Benno Elkan (1877–1960), a Jewish sculptor who escaped from his native Germany to the United Kingdom. It was presented to the Knesset as a gift from the British Parliament on April 15, 1956, in honour of the eighth anniversary of Israeli independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Druze in Israel</span> Ethnoreligious minority among Israels Arab citizens

Israeli Druze or Druze Israelis are an ethnoreligious minority among the Arab citizens of Israel.

Amana ('Covenant') is an Israeli settlement movement formed by Gush Emunim in 1976. Its primary goal was "developing communities in Judea, Samaria, the Golan Heights, the Galilee, the Negev and Gush Katif." The initial communities it developed were Ofra, Mevo Modi'in, Kedumim, and Ma'aleh Adumim. Settlements developed in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are illegal under international law.

The Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) is an American non-profit 501(c)(3) volunteer historical society. The society locates sites of American and Jewish historical interest and importance. It works with local community organizations, synagogues, churches, historical societies, governments and individuals, to erect interpretive historical markers that help illuminate the American-Jewish experience and reflect on the commonality of being American.

The Day to Mark the Departure and Expulsion of Jews from the Arab Countries and Iran is a National Day of Commemoration in Israel, observed every year on November 30 to memorialize the departure and expulsion of Jews from Arab countries and Iran.

Ma'ale or Ma'aleh is the name of several places in Israel and Palestine. It may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trump Heights</span> Planned settlement in the Golan Heights

Trump Heights is a planned Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights named after and in honour of Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States. Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights are widely regarded as illegal under international law; however, the Israeli government disputes this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Herschel Schulman</span>

Samuel Herschel Schulman was the last surviving American crew member of the ship Exodus1947, which tried to bring thousands of Holocaust survivors from Europe to Mandatory Palestine. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Jewish immigrants from Poland, he moved to Paris in 1932, surviving the Holocaust in hiding in central France.

References

  1. Pave the Way Foundation Provides Help to Muslim, Christian and Jewish Mothers in Jerusalem
  2. Straight from Jerusalem
  3. "One-man tribute to the Israeli soldiers," Dov Yareh, In and About Jerusalem, Cohi productions, Jerusalem, 2011
  4. A rare early Sam Philipe
  5. "From chocolate animal carvings to gold and silver biblical sculpture," Witchita Chronicle, September 1999
  6. ETD Exclusive Travel Design: Sam Philipe
  7. "From chocolate animal carvings to gold and silver biblical sculpture," Witchita Chronicle, September 1999
  8. "Fund honored to host world-renowned Israeli Artist, United Methodist Church Connection, November 7, 2000
  9. Ammunition Hill site
  10. The Lion of Judah has joined the IDF
  11. Sculpture based on Scriptures
  12. "Sam Philipe: Reaching God through art," In and About Jerusalem, Cohi productions, Jerusalem, 2011
  13. Stories of the Bible in the heart of Jerusalem, [Hebrew], catalog by Tzipi Vital, curator
  14. Memorial of Love, RKK Memorial Museum, Alexis Leon, 2010
  15. Prodigal Son gift for Alappuzha museum
  16. "One-man tribute to the Israeli soldiers," Dov Yareh, In and About Jerusalem, Cohi productions, Jerusalem, 2011
  17. ICEJ joins ceremonies on 70th anniversary of refugee ship saga, Word from Jerusalem, 2017 p.11
  18. Sam Philipe: Reaching God Through Art, In and About Jerusalem, Cohi Productions, Jerusalem, 2017, p.61
  19. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/first-israeli-monument-to-exodus-inaugurated-in-haifa-500112 [First Israeli Monument to the Exodus]
  20. http://www.jewish-american-society-for-historic-preservation.org/internationalprograms/exodusmemorialisrael.html [Doing the Right Thing]
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6YAJ4OMe2g [YouTube dedication ceremony]
  22. https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-pictures-the-70th-anniversary-of-the-ss-exodus-in-haifa/ [70th Anniversary of the S.S. Exodus]
  23. https://www.jewishtimes.com/64661/exodus-1947-haifa-memorial/news/ [S.S. Exodus]
  24. https://int.icej.org/news/commentary/remembering-exodus [Remembering the Exodus][Remembering the Exodus]
  25. "The ship that launched a nation". 26 July 2017.
  26. http://www.machal.org.il/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=847&Itemid=1271&lang=en/ [Dedication of a Machal Memorial at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem]
  27. https://jewishjournal.com/news/united-states/228631/machal-fighters-get-memorial-jerusalem-seven-decades-volunteering-israel/ [Machal Fighters Get Memorial in Jerusalem, Seven Decades After Volunteering for Israel]
  28. "From the Old Maccabees to the New Maccabees "A wrong made right"".
  29. "The Anne Frank Children's Human Rights Memorial".
  30. "Thank you, President Trump Ani Modeh Lecha".
  31. "For the forgotten victims of Hate at Israel's Birth, a Memorial".
  32. "The Departure and Expulsion Memorial – the Jewish "Nakba" Memorial".
  33. "פסל עץ החיים". maaleh net (in Hebrew). 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  34. "Jews Who Saved Other Jews Memorialized". San Diego Jewish World. 2021-07-24. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
  35. 75th anniversary of UN decision