Festivals 2020 - Modern Jewish Art Mandalas

Perforation type: 13 ¾x13 ¾

Subject:

8.3 new shekels.

Mandala symbolizing the Shofar festival*.
One of the elements of the mandala was the Montefiori windmill** in Jerusalem.

The stamp design is not repeated on the coupon.

Additional:

*Throughout the generations, creators of Jewish art have reflected the values of Jewish religion and culture in their works, while utilizing the techniques of their times.

A mandala is a round figure comprised of circles of increasing size filled with drawings and graphic symbols centered around a common point.

A shofar is featured at the center of the stamp dedicated to the “Shofar” blessing, surrounded by motifs of Jerusalem to represent the idea of the shofar as heralding the Redemption. The stamp features the verse: And a very loud blast of the horn (Exodus 19:16).

A shofar (שׁוֹפָר‎, pronounced [ʃoˈfaʁ]) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying the player's embouchure. The shofar is blown in synagogue services on Rosh Hashanah and at the very end of Yom Kippur, and is also blown every weekday morning in the month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah. Shofars come in a variety of sizes and shapes, depending on the choice of animal and level of finish.

 

**The Montefiore Windmill is a landmark windmill in Jerusalem. Designed as a flour mill, it was built in 1857 on a slope opposite the western city walls of Jerusalem, where three years later the new Jewish neighbourhood of Mishkenot Sha'ananim was erected, both by the efforts of British Jewish banker and philanthropist Moses Montefiore.

Jerusalem at the time was part of Ottoman-ruled Palestine. Today the windmill serves as a small museum dedicated to the achievements of Montefiore. It was restored in 2012 with a new cap and sails in the style of the originals. The mill can turn in the wind.