The Malcolm Rosenberg Hillel Center in Blacksburg, home to Hillel at Virginia Tech, is hosting an exclusive viewing of Salvador Dali’s Aliyah Suite, a set of twenty-five photo-lithographs commissioned by Samuel Shore in 1968 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the state of Israel.
The prints, full of references to the Old Testament and modern history, offer a haunting, visual depiction of the Holocaust and the circumstances that led to the birth of the Jewish state, and a letter by David Ben-Gurion, the Israel’s first prime minister, accompanies the collection.
One of the few remaining complete sets of Salvador Dali’s Aliyah Suite, this exhibition is available for public viewing at the Malcolm Rosenberg Hillel Center during the month of March on Mondays through Fridays from 1-5 p.m.
This exhibition is generously funded by the Intercultural Engagement Center at Virginia Tech, and the Moss Art Center provided instrumental installation support.
On Monday at 7 p.m. Professor David R. Blumenthal, Jay and Leslie Cohen Professor of Judaic Studies and proprietor of the Aliyah Suite, will share his insight into the context of Aliyah Suite’s commission and elaborate on the historical events that Salvador Dali chose to depict. The lecture is titled “Salvador Dali Aliyah: The Rebirth of Israel” and is free and open to the public.
A reception will follow Professor Blumenthal’s lecture, and no RSVP is required. The Hillel Center is located on 710 Toms Creek Road in Blacksburg, Virginia.
— Submitted by Jonathan Wertheim