Lost Flowers

Mindy Weisel

1979

Image

Painting with thick border of abstract flower with hand shapes and Hebrew word in its center. — In the 1970s, Weisel, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, made a series of abstract paintings inspired by her father’s tattoo from Auschwitz. The central rectangle in this painting resembles a palimpsest blotting out what hides underneath. The Hebrew word *Shema* (Hear)—the first word of the prayer (Deuteronomy 6:5) that is the Jewish profession of faith—can be seen but seems on the point of dissolution. Weisel’s father’s tattoo number is faintly visible in the light-colored border on the left side of the blackened rectangle.

Credits

Private collection. Courtesy of the artist.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 10.

There Are Many Riddles in Life

There are many riddles in life, Mounds and mounds of answers too; The wise men have many solutions, The morons have a desire for life. Once a wise man told me: “There is one essence of being, Only…

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Poster featuring men, woman, and children in a small boat with Hebrew writing on the top and bottom, and one of the men standing in the back of the boat steering with a rudder through rough waves.

Fund for Recruitment and Rescue Poster

This Hebrew-language poster urges Jews in Palestine to lend a hand to the rescue of Jewish refugees. During World War II, Jewish immigration to Palestine was banned by British Mandate authorities. A…

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Terra-cotta figurine of pregnant woman cradling belly.

Plaque Figurine of Pregnant Woman

In this terra-cotta plaque figurine from Tell Beit Mirsim, 6 inches (15 cm) high, the pregnant woman’s arms cradle her belly and her navel and genitalia protrude. Incisions indicate the eyes, the hair…

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Creator Bio

Mindy Weisel

b. 1947

American artist Mindy Weisel was born in a displaced persons’ camp on the site of the former Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Her parents’ experiences as survivors of Auschwitz serve as inspiration for many of her artworks. She works in a variety of media, including oils, water colors, glass, and metal. Weisel is also the author and editor of several books, including Daughters of Absence: Transforming a Legacy of Loss (2001).