The Jerusalem Windows are not the only pieces of art that adorn the hallways of the hospital. Many artists have donated their works. In addition, private collectors had donated countless paintings, sculptures, and drawings. Hadassah Hospital believes that art plays an important role in the healing process. In addition to healing the body, they believe that art soothes the soul.
I have been a long-time fan of the art of Marc Chagall. While his style was definitely modern with an emphasis on cubism, I always found it so heartwarming that his subject matter was old. Many of his most famous pieces are biblical scenes or old Jewish shtetls (like the village depicted in "Fiddler on the Roof").
Even though Marc Chagall was Jewish by birth, he spent the majority of his life as a secular Jew. He was born in Russia in 1887 and spent most of his life living in France. When he was in his forties, Chagall was commissioned to illustrate the "Old Testament" (aka Hebrew Bible). He decided to use the project as an excuse to travel to Israel, which was then called "Palestine". He arrived in 1931 and ended up staying for two months. Chagall said that Palestine gave him the most vivid inspiration - "I found the Bible and part of my own being".
In 1960, Chagall began creating stained glass windows for the synagogue at the Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. He created twelve windows to represent the twelve tribes of Israel and devoted two years of his life to complete the task. When the art work was completed, the windows were first exhibited in Paris and then later at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. They were finally installed in Jerusalem in 1962. Each window is 11 feet tall and 8 feet wide - which was larger than anything Chagall had ever created before.
Marc Chagall's dedication at the Hadassah Hospital reads as follows:
“This is my modest gift to the Jewish people who have always dreamt of biblical love, friendship and of peace among all peoples. This is my gift to that people which lived here thousands of years ago among the other Semitic people.”
Marc Chagall
February 6, 1962
