Yet again, a previous month’s post has offered a convenient segue into the next. In November, mosaics were featured in the yearly exploration of the art, artwork, and design theme, and one of the 5th century mosaics described was the ‘loaves and fishes’ piece that lies in front of the altar in the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee.
This variable value stamp – 1.10 NIS – sold from a vending machine first came out on 16 November 1996. It is illustrated with the ‘loaves and fishes’ mosaic in the Church of Multiplication at Tabgha, and with the seasonal wish ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’. The number/code 023 indicates a dispensing machine in Tel AvivVariable value stamp franked with a Nazareth postmark on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1996, and showing holly berries and leaves
The mosaic – one of a number in the Church of the Multiplication – depicted two fish flanking a basket containing four loaves of bread, and it was illustrated on an ATM postage stamp issued on 16 November 1996 (ATMs are self-adhesive variable value stamps issued from automatic self-service vending machines or from counter machines in post offices). Included in the design of the stamp was the Christmas wish: ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’.
2.00 Israeli Pounds stamp illustrated with Coral Island in the 1971-78 Landscapes series franked with a Bethlehem postmark, Christmas Eve, 24 December 1974
The Declaration of Israeli Independence in 1948 described the country as a Jewish state, but it also stated that it would guarantee religious freedoms and freedom of conscience, language, education and culture to all citizens, and would ensure complete equality of social and political rights irrespective of religion, race or sex. This was important in a country with great diversification of cultures and tradition. Today, around 2% of the total population of Israel – circa 177,000 people – are adherents of the Christian religion (in 2019). Moslems accounted for 17.8% of the population (2019).
The term for a Christian in modern Hebrew is Notzri – or ‘follower of the Nazarene’ – plural Notzrim.
Variable value stamp – 1.30 NIS – first issued on 16 November 1993. It was printed by Glilon of Tel Aviv and designed by Yitzhak Granot. Illustrated with a Bethlehem skyline and the seasonal wish ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’, the stamp is franked here with a Bethlehem postmark and the first date of issue. The motif includes the decorative star in the Church of the Nativity designated as the site of Jesus’s brithplace
Although the ‘Christmas story’ took place in what is now modern Israel, and modern Palestine – Jesus of Nazareth, born in Bethlehem of Judea – Christmas is not widely celebrated in the country other than among the small Christian population. Christmas is not a public holiday in Israel (Hanukkah is not a national holiday either for that matter though it is a Jewish festival and holiday period for people), and for the majority of Israelis it is a normal working day. Even in Jerusalem, you would be unlikely to see many (or any) signs of Christmas, unless you specifically went to the Old City ‘tourist’ areas, or areas with churches in them.
Self-adhesive Christmas vending-machine stamp – 2.50 NIS – issued 25 November 2018 and designed by Anis Kadis, bringing together various symbolic seasonal elements: the manger, snow, trees, and star. The number/code 00001 indicates issuing/dispensing by the philatelic service
Indeed, in the history of postal issue in Israel, the word ‘Christmas’ has never been printed on a postage stamp, nor the greeting ‘Merry Christmas’, though these have occurred on postmarks/franking, stationery, the range of Simon’s Maximum Cards, and special First Day Leafs. The more universal ‘Season’s Greetings’ has appeared regularly though on Israeli stamp output.
Variable value stamp – 1.15 NIS – issued 16 November 1998, printed by Pitkit (Caesarea Industrial Park) and designed by Y. Gabay. It is illustrated with birds featured on ancient mosaics, and the seasonal wish ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’. The stamp here is franked with a Nazareth postmark and the first date of issue. Part of the motif shows the Basilica of the Annunciation, in Nazareth
Christmas services and activities are of course held in the Christian churches of Israel, the most famous of these being the carol concerts and services held at the Dormition Abbey (a Benedictine Monastery) on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The YMCA in Jerusalem also holds a Christmas bazaar as well as a Christmas Eve carol concert.
Variable value stamp – 1.10 NIS – first issued on 19 November 1997 and illustrated with a view of the Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, and the seasonal wish ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’. The stamp here is franked with a Nazareth postmark and the first date of issue… again the motif shows part of the Basilica, Nazareth
The largest Christian population in Israel is in Nazareth (the town where Jesus grew up). Nazareth has lots of Christmas lights on the streets and outdoor markets to celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah. There is a Christmas Eve parade which ends at the Church (or Basilica) of the Annunciation, a firework display, and midnight mass.
A special cover in a special year, 1967 (a few months after the Six Day War which saw the divided city of Jerusalem united once more, and Jews able to visit the Western Wall again after many years). The 12 Agorot stamp on the cover is one of five designed by E. Weishoff and issued for Jewish New Year 5728, showing Torah scrolls. The cover is illustrated with a drawing of the Church (or Basilica) of the Annunciation, in Nazareth, and a profile drawing of Pope Paul VI. The stamp is franked with a Nazareth postmark, dated Christmas Eve, 24 December 1967
At major Christian places of worship in Jerusalem, Christmas can ‘last’ for up to three weeks, because Roman Catholic and Protestants celebrate the festival on 25 December, Orthodox Christians celebrate on 6 January, and Armenian Christians on 19 January.
Postmark dated Christmas Eve, 24 December 1975, Bethlehem, and franking a 0.30 Agorot stamp illustrated with En Avedat in the 1971-78 Landscapes series
Just over the border, in Bethlehem in Palestine (in the West Bank), more Christmas celebrations take place than in much of Israel.
3.10 NIS stamp with tab, designed by L. Perez, and issued on 3 December 2013 to mark the annual ‘Holiday of Holidays’ festival in Haifa. The stamp features a motif representing ‘light’ across the major religions in the city: the Hanukkah menorah symbolizing the miracle of the oil; the Christmas tree form, representing the light brought to the world by the birth of Jesus; and, the lamp used by Muslims in the early days of Islam and which became a symbol of Ramadan
Celebrating the diversity of Haifa – Jewish, Moslem, Christian, Druze, Baha’i – the annual ‘Holiday of Holidays’ is held in the city in December (it had been annual anyway until Covid-19 made its presence during 2020). During the holiday elaborate illuminations and decorations enhance the city’s places of worship and religious gathering, including the Baha’i Temple.
The ‘Holiday of Holidays’ festival was founded in 1994 by Beit Ha-Gefen (the Arab-Jewish Cultural Centre), the Haifa Municipality, and the Wadi Nisnas (formerly mixed Arab and Jewish) neighbourhood of Haifa, as a multi-cultural celebration of the neighbourly relations that exist within Haifa’s diverse population.
Variable value stamp, issued for 2.40 NIS on 26 November 2009 from a ‘Doarmat’ machine, and illustrated with Santa Claus being pulled by two reindeer, and the seasonal wish ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’. The number/code 001 indicates that the stamp was dispensed in Jaffa. If it had been 004, dispensing would have occurred in Carmel, 006 Haifa, 008 Natanya, 010 Jerusalem, 011 Rehovot, 012 Beersheva, 013 Eilat, 015 Nazareth, 018 Ashdod, and 023 Tel Aviv
In a normal year (without Covid-19), the festival would be held over the weekends of December in galleries and public areas throughout the Wadi Nisnas neighbourhood, the German Colony and the Lower City of Haifa. There would be art exhibitions, movies, concerts (classical Arabic music, world music, traditional Jewish music, and Jewish music with a fusion of Western and Eastern styles), theatre, dance, circus, acrobatics, and street performances, antiques fairs, walking tours, and conferences. There would be a wide array of foods based on local Mediterranean cuisine, al fresco fare in Wadi Nisnas, children’s activities, and a Christmas parade (with Santa Claus).
Variable value stamp, issued for 2.50 NIS on 26 November 2019 from an Inbar machine, and illustrated with Santa Claus being pulled by a set of reindeer, uttering the well-known ‘Ho ho ho’, and the seasonal wish ‘Season’s Greetings from the Holy Land’. The number/code 00001 indicates that the stamp was issued/dispensed by the philatelic service
More than likely, a stranger to Haifa during the ‘Holiday of Holidays’ would be greeted with a hearty.. MERRY CHRISTMAS – CHAG MOLAD SAMEACH !!!! חג מולד שמח
In the construction of this month’s post, the following sources were used: (1) Barry Davis, ‘Being different in Haifa‘, Jerusalem Post, 18 December 2014; (2) the website of the Israel Philatelic Federation; and (3) the website of Ateeme, the place for those interested in variable value stamps, ATMs
A further look at Christmas on Israeli postal output will be taken this time next year… 2021!!!
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EXPLORING THE ART OF MOSAIC ON ISRAELI POSTAL ISSUE
This month’s post follows on from the last one which explored the ‘Tenth Muse’ – cinema – on Israeli stamp issue, segueing not too clumsily into the art of mosaic, examples of which from across the Middle East (though mostly those from Israel or Palestinian territory) have featured on Israeli stamp issue from the 1950s onwards.
The word ‘mosaic’ is derived from Greek and Latin usage meaning ‘belonging to the Muses’… in other words, they are artistic. Mosaic patterns or images are created from differently shaped small pieces of coloured stone, glass or ceramic, called ‘tesserae‘ (singular, tessera) which are held in place by plaster or mortar. Mosaics have adorned surfaces such as walls, floors, and pavements, down through the centuries and across many cultures.
Illustration representing a mosaic of the ‘Lion of Judah’ and menorah on the First Day Cover – 16 December 1952 – marking the opening of the post office at Shvut Am. This was a temporary immigrant camp, or ma’abara, at a former British military base in Bet Lid, east of Netanya. In December 1952, the population of town-sized Shvut Am was around 11,500, mostly Jewish immigrants from Tripolitania in Libya. By the mid-1950s Shvut Am functioned as a town, but living conditions were poor and in 1967 Israeli authorities demolished it after resettling the inhabitants elsewhere… An interesting linguistic point about the postmark is that the rendering of Shvut Am begins with the grapheme Š (S with caron), a Romanization of the Hebrew ש (Shin), so that the postmark reads, Švut Am, or Shvut Am
Tesserae… individual differently shaped small pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic which together create a mosaic pattern or image… from a stamp issued in 1998 featuring a mosaic of a ‘woman from Sepphoris’
Mosaic as an art form emerged in Mesopotamia (around 3000 to 2001 BC), and it was evident in Mycenaean Greece (1600 to 1100 BC), Ancient Greece (1100 to 800 BC) and Ancient Rome (700 BC to 500 AD), the early-Christian world (from around 400 AD), and in the Byzantine Empire (500 to 1400 AD). In Europe, mosaics fell out of fashion during the Renaissance and were substituted by ‘fresco’ work, though Raphael (1483-1520) executed some mosaics.
Mosaic on the floor of the Masada bath-house as shown on the 5.80 NIS stamp designed by Ronen Goldberg and issued on 14 May 2008Masada featured on the 5.80 NIS stamp in the UNESCO World Heritage series, and a mosaic from the bath-house floor in the Western Palace within the clifftop fortress appeared in a booklet of 15 stamps featuring other heritage sites in the series. An ancient Jewish coin with both sides shown was illustrated on the booklet panel. In addition to the Masada mosaic stamp, the other sites illustrated in the booklet were: Biblical ‘tels’, or fortified hilltop settlements on the 2.25 NIS value; Acre, the Crusader fortress on the 3.30 NIS value; a Nabatean archeological site along the ‘Incense Route’ on the 3.40 NIS value; and, Tel Aviv and its ‘international style’ architecture on the 5.00 NIS value. The booklet contained three stamps in each design
In the 1st century BC, in the mountain fortress at Masada close to the Dead Sea, a royal citadel was constructed by Herod I who ruled Judah as Rome’s client king. In Herod’s Western Palace – on the western side of the fortification – a richly coloured mosaic floor decorated the private bath-house. A large reception hall had a magnificent mosaic pavement with circles and border ornaments of plant and geometric designs.
Roman and Byzantine influences led Jewish artists to decorate 5th and 6th century synagogues in the Middle East with floor mosaics, with some examples having been found in Galilee and the Judean Desert.
‘Israel at 20’ represented in mosaic (creating a menorah) on the official First Day Cover for the stamps marking the 20th anniversary of Israeli independence issued on 24 April 1968
At Sepphoris (Zippori, in central Galilee, north of Nazareth) which had been an important centre of Jewish culture during the 3rd and 7th centuries, the remains of a 6th century synagogue were found. The historic capital of the Galilee, Sepphoris had been a multicultural town inhabited by Jews, Christians and pagans. On the floor of the synagogue, a zodiac wheel was uncovered. The mosaic portrays sun god Helios at the centre, on his sun chariot, and each zodiac is matched with the name of a Jewish month.
Miniature sheet designed by G. Sagi issued on 13 May 1998 to mark the World Stamp Exhibition, Tel Aviv, and showing a young woman portrayed in a 3rd century mosaic at Sepphoris (Zippori)
In addition to private homes, various public buildings have been revealed at the Sepphoris archaeological site including bathhouses, a Basilical hall, a theatre, churches, and the synagogue. The buildings had existed throughout the Byzantine period. In addition to the mosaic of the zodiac wheel, over 30 other mosaics had been unearthed including the image of a beautiful woman which had been integrated into a series of medallions decorating the central parlor floor of a 3rd century hill-top building in the town. The woman is adorned with a laurel wreath and ear-rings.
Woman on a 3rd century mosaic discovered in Sepphoris. It is shown on the 5.00 NIS stamp forming part of a souvenir miniature sheet issued to mark the 1998 World Stamp Exhibition held in Tel AvivWoman of Sepphoris… in mosaic… on the 1998 postage stamp… souvenir sheet
Over the years 2003-2005, archaeological excavations took place at a site dating from the 1st to the 4th centuries AD inside a prison compound at Megiddo on the edge of the Jezreel Valley. In the immediate area is Tel Megiddo, a site considered one of the most ancient settlements in the Middle East (the ancient city of Megiddo), and first excavated in the early-20th century. In the modern archaeological site inside the prison compound a large structure was exposed and a mosaic floor found – the floor of a Christian prayer hall. The mosaic was decorated with geometric patterns, a medallion with fish and three inscriptions in ancient Greek.
The mosaic at Megiddo which appeared on a souvenir miniature sheet designed by Yitzhak Granot and issued on 8 May 2006 to mark the National Stamp Exhibition held in Jerusalem2006 souvenir miniature sheet marking the National Stamp Exhibition in Jerusalem
As part of a prisoner rehabilitation project, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze prisoners who were serving prison sentences participated in the excavations at Megiddo.
A mosaic floor was expensive to install, so owning one was considered a status symbol that only the wealthy could afford. Domestic dwellings of the rich were adorned with mosaic floors and community leaders had them installed in public buildings such as bath-houses, churches, and synagogues. Indeed, in 1996, during the course of renovation excavations in Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv in the Central District of Israel, a luxurious Roman dwelling – a villa – from the 3rd century was uncovered. It contained a mosaic floor of the highest quality – small tesserae, and wide colour range. The mosaic featured mammals, birds, fish, and sailing vessels.
4.10 NIS stamp from a sheet with a set of three values designed by Meir Eshel, and issued on 13 November 2016. The stamp shows a mosaic in a 3rd century Roman villa in Lod that was discovered in 1996. The artwork on the tab was executed by Haim Kapchitz
A mosaic dating from 400-530 AD found on the floor of the synagogue at Jerash in modern Jordan (Gerasa Synagogue, later converted to a church) was featured on an early Israeli postage stamp – in the 1st airmail series – issued on 25 June 1950. The stamp was illustrated with ‘Noah’s dove from Jerash’. The dove is shown with a freshly plucked olive leave (from the Biblical story).
Jerash was excavated in 1928, and uncovered beneath the foundations of a church was the mosaic pavement of a synagogue with a Greco-Jewish inscription and representations of the animals entering Noah’s ark and various sacred objects, including a candelabrum.
250 Prutot airmail stamp designed by Otte Wallish and first issued on 25 June 1950. The unifying theme for this airmail series was winged-creatures found in archaeological excavationsDove mosaic in detail
Similar to the the zodiac wheel found at Sepphoris, a zodiac mosaic adorned the floor of the synagogue at Beit Alfa at the foot of the Gilboa ridge in the Northern District of Israel. The synagogue had been built during the reign of the Byzantine emperor, Justin I (450-527 AD). One of the most important mosaics uncovered in Israel, the mosaic is composed of three panels, one of which depicts a zodiac wheel, again with Helios at the centre on his chariot and with each zodiac matched with a Jewish month. The other two depict the Holy Ark and the story of the sacrifice of Isaac.
The floor mosaic of the ancient Beit Alfa synagogue showing an allegorical illustration of the sun – Helios – surrounded by the twelve zodiacal signs. The zodiac wheel featured on a souvenir miniature sheet designed by R. Errell and D. Pegaz, issued on 17 September 1957 to mark TABIL, the International Stamp ExhibitionHelios at the centre of the wheel
There is a third zodiac wheel – in mosaic – in the Hamat Tiberias synagogue in the Hamat Tverya National Park on the Tiberias-Zemach road, along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The mosaic is 4th century. Other mosaics found elsewhere in Israel depict the Ark of the Covenant, the menorah, the shofar, the lulav or frond of a date palm, etrog or yellow citron, deer, rams, tiger and other animals, peacock and other birds, fish, palm-trees, and floral and geometric and decorative patterns.
Geometric and decorative patterns on a mosaic found at Megiddo, forming part of the illustration on the miniature sheet issued 8 May 2006 to celebrate the National Stamp Exhibition, Jerusalem, 2006
A mosaic found in front of the altar of the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee (built on a 5th century Byzantine church, and the second on the same site) depicts two fish flanking a basket containing four loaves of bread. Full archaeological excavations had been begun on the site in 1932, leading to the discovery of the 5th century mosaic. The church was found to have been built on the foundations of a much smaller 4th century chapel.
‘Loaves and fishes’ mosaic, Tabgha, illustrated on the ATM variable value stamp which came out on 16 November 1996
In 1965, the remains of a synagogue from the Byzantine-period – 6th century – were uncovered by Egyptian archaeologists on the Gaza coast. At the site, a mosaic illustration of King David was found – David playing the lyre – though the Egyptian team stated that it was an Orpheus mosaic (Orpheus often used as a symbol for Christ) and that the remains were of a church (a synagogue would not suit the Egyptian and Palestinian narrative). Shortly after the discovery of the figure the eyes were dug out, but when Israel captured Gaza in 1967 the mosaic was transferred to Israel for restoration, and today it is on display at the Museum of the Good Samaritan near Ma’ale Adumim. Excavations at the site in the 1970s unearthed mosaic animals arranged in round medallions. There was an image of a tiger leaping towards its prey. The mosaic floor had been contributed by Jewish lumber merchants, Menachem and Joshua.
Another 4.10 NIS stamp from a sheet with a set of three designed by Meir Eshel, and issued on 13 November 2016. The stamp shows a leaping tiger on a mosaic in a 6th century synagogue in Gaza discovered in 1965, The tab features an inscription, in Greek, acknowledging that the Jewish lumber merchants Menachem and Joshua, contributed the mosaic
Earlier, in 1957, the remains of another Byzantine-period synagogue – 6th century – were discovered near Kibbutz Nirim in the western Negev. The remains included a magnificent mosaic floor. The main part of the design features 55 medallions made of winding grape vines. Different animals appear in the center of each medallion. The stamp emphasizes the image of a brilliant colorful peacock and the tab features additional medallions, including that of a palm tree.
A third 4.10 NIS stamp from a sheet with a set of three designed by Meir Eshel, and issued on 13 November 2016. The stamp shows a peacock on a mosaic in a 6th century synagogue in the western Negev discovered in 1957. The tab features additional medallions from the mosaic, including that of a palm-tree
Though not in Israel itself, the 6th century Madaba mosaic map of Biblical Palestine in the St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Madaba, Jordan, just east of the Dead Sea, features at its centre a representation of the walled city of Jerusalem, the capital of modern Israel. The mosaic was composed of some 2,300,000 tesserae in 16 different colours. Mountains were outlined in pastel-tinted cubes separated by black lines along the valleys, and water was indicated by blue and brown waves. Fish were shown in the rivers, and ships on the Dead Sea, while palm trees symbolized vegetation, and deer and lions represented the animals of the land. Cities were marked by gates and battlements; smaller towns by gates flanked by towers, and churches were distinguished by red roofs.
Miniature sheet with four values – 1.00, 2.00, 3.oo and 4.00 Israeli Pounds – issued on 23 April 1978 to mark TABIR 78, the National Stamp Exhibition held in Jerusalem. The sheet shows ‘Jerusalem’ rom the 6th century Madaba mosaic mapThe Madaba tesserae in detail
The Madaba mosaic floor had been laid some time between 560 and 565 CE, as part of the floor of a large Byzantine basilica. After the Moslem conquest in the 7th century, the church had remained in use for around another century when it was abandoned, and the mosaic forgotten about, fell into oblivion. During the construction of a new Greek Orthodox church in the 19th century, a lot of damage was done to the map, but then in 1896, as the new building neared completion, scholars realized the significance of the mosaic, and research got underway.
In spite of the damage to the mosaic, the ‘Jerusalem’-panel was saved complete. Disintegration continued gradually however, and it was thought that it was in danger of obliteration. In 1966 a team of German experts cleaned and re-set the mosaic.
The 1 NIS stamp designed by R. Kantor and Anat Friedman and issued on 16 December 1995 in a set of three stamps (on a miniature sheet) to mark the 3000th anniversary of Jerusalem (City of David). It is illustrated with part of the 6th century Gaza synagogue mosaic depicting King David playing the lyre/harp. The tab shows sealing (bulla) of the biblical scribe, Gemariah son of Shafan, which was found in the City of David excavations, and which dated from the end of the First Temple period. The other two stamps on the sheet had values of 1.50 NIS and 1.80 NISDetail from the City of David 3000 stamp issued in 1995, showing King David, in mosaic, playing the lyre/harp
The Madaba mosaic map featured on an Israeli souvenir miniature sheet issued on 23 April 1978 – with four values – to mark TABIR, the National Stamp Exhibition held in Jerusalem in 1978. Another souvenir miniature sheet which featured the Gaza synagogue mosaic and the King David panel – on one of three stamps on the sheet – was designed by R. Kantor and Anat Friedman and issued on 4 September 1995 to mark the European stamp exhibition ‘Jerusalem 3000’ held at the Binyaney Ha’uma Convention Centre in Jerusalem in 1995.
Resources used in the construction of this post included: (1) Golan, Arnon. and Amiram Oren, ‘The use of former British military bases during and after the 1948 war’, Israel Affairs, 24 (2), February 2018, p.231; (2) website of the Israel Philatelic Federation
THE SCOTLAND-BASED AUTHOR OF THIS ISRAELI PHILATELY BLOG HAS RECENTLY PUBLISHED A BOOK ON SWEDISH FOREIGN POLICY (released 8 October 2020), ENTITLED Swedish foreign policy, 1809-2019: A comprehensive modern history (ISBN:978-1-4331-7482-7 Peter Lang AG, New York, Berne, Brussels Oxford, Vienna, Warsaw, 2020) WHICH CAN BE ORDERED FROM PETER LANG PUBLISHING, OR AMAZON, OR YOUR OTHER FAVOURITE ONLINE BOOKSTORE!!!
Israeli postage stamps בולי דואר ישראליים 