Shoulders of Giants

Artist Reflections The physical presence of the many generations that have come before me both humble and strengthen me. The building currently known as the Tower of David holds within its stones layers of historical construction, destruction and reconstruction from the Hasmonean period, through King Herod’s reign, the Byzantine empire, and the Crusades. Today, it stands by the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem, and functions as a museum presenting the dynamic history of Jerusalem.  Commenting on our relationship to past generations, the medieval Talmudic commentator Isaiah di Trani wrote, “We are dwarves astride the shoulders of giants. Due to their wisdom we grow wise and are able to say all that we say, but not because we are greater than they.”