Photo Friday: Stronger Than Lions

Stand for Israel  |  November 15, 2019

“…in life they were loved and admired,
and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
they were stronger than lions.” (2 Samuel 1:23)

These two lions greet visitors to the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. The Jerusalem Post’s Leah Elbaum Hakimian tells us more about these beloved statues as they reach a milestone:

The two lions in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, at the corner of Yehuda Halevi and Misgav Ladach streets, are celebrating their bat mitzvah. Affectionately known as the Sister Lions, they’ve been standing guard at this intersection since their dedication on July 6, 2007, in memory of two sisters, Nancy Elbaum Makovsky and Ruth Elbaum Shane.

When friends decide to meet at “the lions of the [Jewish] Quarter,” there is no confusion – everyone knows which lions and where they are. There are no others in the Jewish Quarter…

The artist, Rivka Deutsch, who lives in the Jewish Quarter, keeps them up with the times. She paints them one way for Tisha Be’av and a different way for Purim. Their looks change several times a year, but these concrete sculptures always exude the strength of Jerusalem and its warmth.

The Sister Lions are easily accessible and children love them. Over the years, thousands of children have waited in line for a turn to “ride” the lions and be photographed with them. This gift to the city is a living memorial to two sisters who loved children and were both master teachers…

May the memories of these two beloved sisters be a blessing, and may the statues that stand in their stead delight visitors to the Holy Land for years to come. Shabbat shalom, friends.