Our New Logo

ביני ובין בני ישראל אות הוא לעלם

Let it be a sign between Me and you throughout your generations… —EXODUS 31:13

While this verse speaks to Shabbat as an eternal sign which links us and G-d, I can’t help but think there is something else to “see.” Whether you’ve sat and watched Cecille B. DeMille’s The 10 Commandments or The Prince of Egypt, we’ve all come to see the commandments not only as words but as art. After all, they were written down onto stone. You might say they are only words but let us remember this famous sentiment expressed by Michelangelo: real artists work with their minds not their hands. The words of the 10 Commandments carved onto stone was the work of the mind to inspire our hands. It is also our work today, especially in these times.

The power of the ‘mind’s eye’

Over the past year, we’ve taken some very important steps. Some retrace, others advance. While it seems distant, we are only two years removed from COVID’s lockdown shadow. When the last restrictions ended we imagined the ordeal would be left quickly behind. In hindsight I see the extent to which we are catching up to what COVID disrupted. For our young children, it’s learning with groups, not screens. For young adults, it’s appreciating that phones cannot replace people. For adults, it’s swapping sweatpants for suit pants. Only now are we retracing our steps to where they were in 2019. We’ve experienced the same reality at Beth Sholom. Our plans to renovate and reinvigorate our building have only recently gained momentum and been re-energized with the hiring of Rabbi Louis Sachs, and our renewed commitment to fostering a culture of communication.

There will be much more for me to express and share on these topics and plans, but for today, let’s focus on one key element: our logo and visual branding. Since our Shul’s inception, the image that represented us was a monochrome of our building, seen here:

But as we talked, debated, and discussed we came to see that what makes Beth Sholom special, warm, nurturing, and giving isn’t the building, per se. It is the souls who fill the building; you. With this in mind, we sought to conceive of a logo that captures the idea of our community – Sholom – rooted in the things which help us advance and find ‘Sholom’ in our lives and families: tradition, ritual, community.

The Star of David is central to this.

Originally called the Seal of Solomon, the Magen David (Star/Shield of David) serves as a nearly universal emblem of Judaism, chosen to highlight the flag of the modern state of Israel (Raphael hid a Seal of Solomon in his giant mystical fresco, The School of Athens!) Its meaning is the mystical interpretation that links it with the holy number seven by way of its six points surrounding the center. The number seven has special religious significance in Judaism. Going back to creation, we have the six days followed by the seventh, the Sabbath, the day of rest proclaimed holy by G-d and endowed with singular blessing.

But another detail in the Star of David is that it is formed from two triangles: one facing up and the other down. It argues for the connection between heaven and earth. Of our lives and G-d’s blessings. Of eternity and fragility. Of the blessings of the moment and the beauty of our history. As said much better by the Kabbalah: “As below, so above: as above, so below.”

In this sacred season as we prepare for the messages of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur our prayer is this logo will remind us of the unity and strength we share as a community. May it inspire us to reflect on the blessings we've received and the true peace we strive to bring to our lives, homes, and the world around us. Together, let us continue to uphold the values of Beth Sholom, growing in faith, connection, and tradition. I wish you and your loved ones a sweet, peaceful, and prosperous new year.

Shanah Tovah,

RAF