> The cover illustrates "Paper's Law"...."When an unfamiliar language is > photographed it is invariably backwards or upside down."
I have a theory. When we write roman letters, we sit them plunk down on their butts on the line. Arabic seems to have all it's weight on the line as well. However, when we write hebrew block letters we hang up them like socks on a clotheline. To make hebrew look "right", the photographer or whoever will turn the document or picture around or upside down to make the letters look like they're sitting down. One might suppose that it's a reaction produced by a feeling of vertigo. In the history museums here in spain I've never seen anything in arabic displayed upside down. But absolutely every in hebrew is sideways and inside-out. I feel the need to tell a story about upside down hebrew letters (so stop here if you're not in the mood...): There was an temporary exhibit in the Pio V Museum here in Valencia which featured a headstone (1205c.e.) and even though the explanatory card on the moveable stand was fine, it was behind the headstone so that one was forced to look at the letters upside down if you wanted to read the card at the same time. I mentioned it at the desk but I was told that it would take too much effort to turn the 2-ton headstone around (I speak truth). Two years ago the Israeli Embassey in colaboration with a few other Spanish organizations brought in from Israel the "Bezalel Collection" and toured it around the country at great cost and energy. Gala night, there were lots of museum types, political types, church types and jewish types who were invited to have a look-see, sip a little champagne, rub elbows and pat each other on the back for being so cultural and open-minded. Everybody who went told me it was a not-to-be-missed-must-go so a few days latter I did. Everything was right-side up and frontwards. Gorgeous-gorgeous, especially if you knew what you are looking at. However.... ...guess what? At least half of the explanatory cards were in the wrong display cases. And lord forbid that someone should pass out a pamphlet with an explanatory glossary. There I am looking at a pair of stunning shiny gold-silver rimonim and the card says: "This lovely 3-piece javdala set...." I started to notice that lots of people came in to visit the Bezalel exhibit but the average stay was less than 5 minutes. While contemplating a seder plate with the legend "...a fine example of a 1930's modernist menora...", I heard someone looking at a tora keter say to his buddy: "It's beautiful but what's a januquia?" I approached them, introduced myself and offered them a 15-minute orientation tour which turned into a 30-minute tour as more people joined in. What museum would be so dumb as to leave a bunch of nice junk lying around with a sign that says in large friendly letters: "Have at it." What exhibitors and museum curators would not work together to consider the background of the public that might visit the exhibit and not make the appropriate adjustments? Probably those museums that have no respect for the exhibit and probably those exhibitors who have no respect for the public they have to work with. Somewhere along the chain of command somebody has to give a dam or the exhibit will be a fiasco just like a library that nobody uses. Some librarian has to call up the guys of the magazine and ask them if they put in the picture of the synagogue backwards on the cover for a reason or if it was just a snafu to be fixed when the next printing comes up. We can't just tut-tut the tongue and shrug the shoulders. Someone has to do some Quality Control. Better a nudnick librarian so you can say: "Oh, yes, and please do call whenever you might like a little assistance or advice on anything jewish. Always happy to help out where I can." Is summer over yet? Besos de Valencia Alba Toscano Sinagoga conservador/masorti "La Javura" Valencia (Spain) http://www.uscj.org/world/valencia =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
