Unlatched Gates: Visually Assisted Concepts. Through Jewish Eyes

By Nahum Kruger

THE INTENDED PURPOSE OF THIS WORK IS PRIMARILY TO TAKE THE READER ON AN ILLUSTRATED JOURNEY THROUGH THE PROCESSION OF DIRECTIONAL CHALLENGES AND CHOICES ENCOUNTERED IN ONE’S QUEST FOR LIFE’S PURPOSE AND MEANING.

IT PRESENTS A CHRONOLOGICAL FOLLOWING OF THE STAGES,QUESTIONS, CONCEPTS AND ANSWERS RECORDED BY THE ARTIST’S PAINTINGS, SPANNING APPROXIMATELY A 60 YEAR PERIOD FROM EARLY 1960’s AND UNTIL PRESENT 2020.

THE TEXTS THAT ACCOMPANY EACH PAINTING WILL EXPAND ON THE VISUAL CONCEPTS, STRUGGLES AND COMPREHENSION THAT THE ARTIST ATTEMPTED TO PORTRAY.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Apr 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781532098796

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Copyright © 2020 Nahum Kruger.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9878-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-9879-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020906364

iUniverse rev. date: 04/29/2020

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Contents

1. DEDICATION

2. ALIYAH (Ascent to Israel)

3. a) SEEDS.   b) FUNERAL.

4. Four corners.

5. CORPUS CALLOSUM

6. The ‘Now’ Then.

7. DESPAIR, HOPE

8. Night to Day.

9.Conflict.

10. GONE TO THE BEACH ‘75.

11. SPACE AND ENCLOSURE ‘75

12. CHAIRS 1978. Oil on wood 74cm X 122

13a. INTRODUCTION to LIGHT

13b. Intro. to Light

14. CHOOSE LIFE (‘76)

15. DIRECTION

16. THERE and HERE

17. FOUNDATION.

18a. REVELATION at Mount Sinai.

18b. LUCHOT HABRIT.

SHABBAT

20. ESHET CHAYIL

21. AMIDA

22. TWENTY FOUR HOURS

23. RETURN TO SOURCE

24. THE FLOOD

25. KERUVIM

26. ALL MY NEEDS

27. ASHER YATZAR…

28. CHANUKAH

29. PESSACH. (Passover)

30. PURIM

31. ALEPH

32. Tfilat Haderech

33. ORAITA KADMA ALMA

34. KOTTEL

35. SEPHIROT

36. WAY OF LIFE

37. HAVDALAH ‘88.

38. BRIT MILAH

39.BREAKING BARRIERS

40. LIMOOD HANISTAR

41. LOGICAL CONFUSION

42. OUTSIDE IN.

43. BACK OF CANVAS

44. NEW BEGINNINGS

1. DEDICATION

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WIFE (to be) painted 1962. ‘….bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.’ TIKVAH: Born S.A.1945. Married (Nahum) 1965. Made Aliyah 1967. Mother 1968. Departed 2017. Buried in Bet Shemesh area.

Nahum saw Tikvah and Tikvah saw Nahum .… in Shul in 1960. The Shul had an open upstairs gallery,from where the women could observe their husbands below, and of course, visa-versa also applied. Such a set up in Israel would certainly not be accepted without some form of partition preventing that ‘visa-versa’ scenario. Had that partition actually been there, would they have met? The answer is ‘yes’. Many thoughts in the heart of Man, but the plan/will of Hashem will arise (Mishle 19:21) It is clear today that this ‘union’ was the plan of HaShem (G-d),and would have materialized one way or another.

Tikvah’s father passed away when she was just six. After a short period, her mother remarried a widower with 4 children. Tikvah, her Mother, and her brother were now part of a family of eight. Not an easy adjustment The husband died one year later, leaving her Mother now, with six kids. Time passed and each went their way. Her mother married again and they lived peacefully for thirty plus years, of which the last ten or so, they lived in Israel in the home of Tikvah and the family, happy and fulfilled.

This book is lovingly dedicated to her memory.

T0 A WOMAN OF VALOUR, A WIFE, A MOTHER, GREAT GRANDMOTHER,

And

WHOSE WILL (DESIRE) WAS LIKE THAT OF HASHEM ".(. wa1.png ) Morning Blessing

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UNLATCHED

GATES

2. ALIYAH (Ascent to Israel)

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When looking at this painting, it recalls to memory the entire adventure of my wife’s and my ‘whirlwind’ aliya to Israel and our subsequent settlement, and although none of that is obvious in the painting, the memories it invokes, are of incidents, that clearly reveal the consistently active ‘individual providence’ prevalent, and harder to refute, in Eretz Yisrael, as opposed to the ‘general providence’ operating everywhere else, and easier to refute.

Passports and visas were ready.We had listed ourselves as volunteers, ready to assist any Israeli appeal that might arise due to the growing threat of annihilation posed by the 40 million troops of the Arab nations surrounding little israel on 3 sides, with the sea at its 4th. A type of ‘David and Goliath’ scenario. All flights, in and out, had been suspended some 10 days prior to the start of war. Tikvah’s brother was at this time in Israel on a preplanned student tour. No communication with him was possible. Regular mail took about 2-3 weeks. (No emails…no cellphones. imagine.)

At 10 o’clock,one sunny Tuesday morning, about 1 week after Israel’s victory in the now-called ’6 day war’, I was called to the phone at my place of work. My mother-in-law. She said, the first flight, after the war would be leaving that afternoon at 16:00 ... there are two places available…..do we want them. Yes. Yes. I contacted Tikvah at her place of work, and arranged to meet at ‘home’ (my parents house). We each informed our respective shocked bosses and left our jobs. At home, we sold our small old car to a neighbor, threw some basic stuff into a small suitcase, (including some paints later used in the subject picture).. ate a light lunch,and were taken to the airport. Time: close to 14:00. Just 4 hrs.since that workplace phone-call. A SAA aircraft, filled to capacity