Wilshire Boulevard Temple - America Holding Forth the Torch of Liberty
- In Magnin's Words
- Allegory and History
- Source/Citations
Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin described Ballin's murals in a book published in 1974:
"Stars are clustered around her head. An eagle above her arm. A ship sailing westward toward the New Land. In the year that Jews were exiled from Spain, America was discovered.
Bronze figures below the strata of the earth typifying agriculture, mining and the opportunities of the New Land. The earth's forces struggling upward longing to be developed."
"Stars are clustered around her head. An eagle above her arm. A ship sailing westward toward the New Land. In the year that Jews were exiled from Spain, America was discovered.
Bronze figures below the strata of the earth typifying agriculture, mining and the opportunities of the New Land. The earth's forces struggling upward longing to be developed."
Ballin continues with the theme of hope in this final portion of the frieze, again using an allegorical figure holding a light to guide the processional as a symbol of the future. Here he reveals a streak of patriotism and American exceptionalism unseen in previous parts of the frieze. Ending his mural with Jews migration to "the New Land" suggests that he believed that America had and would continue to provide a sanctuary for the Jewish people, and an new terrain upon which to realize a level of community vitality and strength. There they would develop "the earth's forces struggling upward," depicted in the bottom of the piece, achieving success and fortune while contributing to the benefit of all mankind. This had been the case for him personally: born in New York to immigrant parents, Ballin had become a successful artist and lived a version of the American dream similar to the stories he captured in his films. Rabbi Magnin shared this optimistic vision of American history and in sermons and speeches, often highlighted of the overlaps between traditional Jewish religious values and the principles upon which America was built. In the 1940s, Magnin became one of the city's most proud and vocal supporters of the U.S. involvement in the 2nd World War, and he served on dozens of inter-racial and inter-denominational committees during the struggle for civil rights struggles. Through his public service and advocacy, he positioned himself as one of the leading local spokesmen for the American Jewish community. In this piece, Ballin clearly captures Magnin's sentiment that, "You are the one who can stretch your own horizon." Although he doesn't go so far as to include an American flag, the soaring eagle and cluster of stars around the figure provide recognizable symbols of American patriotism, suggesting that Ballin shared many of Magnin's attitudes.
Caption from Rabbi Edgar F. Magnin's book, The Warner Murals in the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles, California, published by the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 1974.
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