From left, sculptor Sam Philipe, Jerry Klinger, Donna Parker of the American Veterans of Israel Legacy Corporation, and Former Mayor Benny Kashriel of Ma’ale Adumim. (Photo courtesy of Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation)
By Jerry Klinger
MA’ALE ADUMIM, Israel — The name of this 40,000-resident bedroom community of Jerusalem is derived from multiple biblical references to its location. The name means the “Red Ascent” as it is along the ancient road from the Jordan Valley rising through red hills to Jerusalem.
Recently retired after being Mayor of Ma’ale Adumim, for 20-plus years, Benny Kashriel, had a vision for his small city that had an emphasis on the economy, livability, culture, and community.
I first met Benny over coffee at the city’s mall more than ten years ago. Benny enthusiastically shared his vision, his dreams. We spoke of Jewish history, of art and my proposed, later completed, gift to the city of another installation, the Anne Frank Children’s Human Rights Memorial. The universal messaging of the Anne was endorsed by the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin. Children are the ultimate victims of adult hatred, bigotry and ignorance.
Sam Philipe is an internationally renowned artist and sculptor. He is a sixth generation Jerusalem native and a friend. In 2021, as Covid raged around the world, a project that Benny and Sam were working towards overlooking the beautiful Shamir Lake and Park in Ma’ale Adumim was in trouble.
Benny had a vision of the large valley setting of the existing man-made lake as a cultural/entertainment venue with an enormous outdoor amphitheater of 1,000 seats, the biggest in Israel. A historical museum would be built at the park telling the story of Yitzhak Shamir, Israel’s seventh prime minister. Rising above the amphitheater would be a giant olive tree. Sam was the visionary/artistic sculptor.
Sam titled his sculpture the Tree of Life. He planned it to rise more than 60 feet.
The Tree of Life is a central image in Judaism with multiple references, from the Book of Genesis to Proverbs. In Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, the Tree is represented by a sacred geometry, ten sephirot or emanations, linked together bringing believers closer to God.
The Tree of Life sculpture, a crown to Shamir Park, was in trouble. The key funder for the project had died.
Sam and I have been involved through more than a score of interpretive projects in Israel. He shared with me his dilemma but did not ask for any funding as we were engaged in building the first-ever memorial in Jerusalem for the expulsion of the 750,000 Sephardic Jews from Arab countries with the birth of Israel.
Instead, I volunteered to help by providing the funds needed to bring the Tree of Life to life.
Sam worked through Covid. In 2022, Benny Kashriel dedicated the incredible, powerful symbol of life before a crowd of Ma’ale Adumim citizens and media.
Exterior of the Tree of Life Sculpture in Ma’ale Adumim, Israel (Photo: Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation)
At first glance, the Tree is a giant, massive, dead olive tree. But, like the Jewish people, when you get closer to it, scan the upper truncated Tree arms, and coming out of them is life, renewed, fresh shoots of green leaves. Atop the highest of the tree arms, on the highest branch of green leaves, is a Dove. The Dove is the most heartfelt symbol of peace all recognize and desire in this contentious land.
Sam’s design is based upon a 500-year-old Olive Tree stump he spotted near the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem. The stump is adjacent to the Tree along with a Lion of Judah sculpture.
Interior of Tree of Life Sculpture (Photo: Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation)
The Tree is hollowed out for people to walk in about and out from various openings. Jewish symbolic objects are reproduced in life-size golden brilliance in the Tree’s inner walls, the Ark of the Covenant, housing the Ten Commandments, the Menorah. A central plexiglass covered well in the middle has representative coins, amphora, and ancient oil candles. The well objects are copies from the time of the last great Jewish revolt for freedom and independence, the Bar Kochba revolt, before the 2,000-year night of banishment and oppression was broken with the Jewish return to the land in 1948.
Sam’s vision incorporated the mysticism of Jewish life into the tree. Each of the ends of the ten arms of the Tree are painted in different colors. The colors represent the ten attributes of the Sephirot of the Tree of Life in the Kabbalah.
To walk through the Tree pathways is to journey into Jewish history, to be sheltered under the mystical path to God is to experience, the living story of the Jewish people and the continuity of faith that never dies.
A dedication stone next to the Tree in Hebrew and English reads: The “Tree of Life” — An artistic creation of the sculptor Sam Philipe. The Tree is a sacred universal symbol of life, enduring eternal. Its branches spread lovingly over all creation, from individual to individual, from generation to generation, growing from strength to strength. “It is a Tree of Life, and those who support it are blessed.” Proverbs 3:18
Israel is a land of many incredible things. The City of Ma’ale Adumim proudly placed big brown highway directional signs to the Tree.
Today, for at least a short while still, the Tree is closed to public access. The amphitheater is already half completed. Everyone is waiting for the day of future peace between all peoples, religions, and cultures, who live so close to each other in Israel, when they will enjoy it together.
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Jerry Klinger is the President of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.
