'Profound' mural of Israel revealed in wreckage of synagogue following LA fire
A huge depiction of what looks like a biblical scene from ancient Israel was suddenly revealed in a Los Angeles synagogue following the blaze that swept through Pasadena and Altadena, California in January.
“I don’t know how, but the fire took away the stucco, took away the sheetrock, and has left this mural undamaged and nothing else in this entire [area] is left except for that mural,” Laurence Harris, cantor at the Pasadena synagogue remarked.
The Eaton fire tore through more than 14,000 acres destroying everything in its path. Well – nearly everything.
Kristine Garroway, a member of the Pasadena Jewish Temple & Center and professor of Hebrew history, was stunned. “How in the world could this have survived?” she asked, according to the LA Times. “The scene is so hopeful and joyful … and it’s just in the middle of all of these ashes.”
With her background in archaeology, Garroway estimated that the mural dates back to the 1920s and may have been transferred to the wall via tapestry. Commenting on the stunning wall of art, she said, “It feels like this is a phoenix that’s risen up out of the fire.”
NEW: When the Eaton Fire destroyed the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, it revealed a mural on one of the only walls still standing.
— Louis Keene (@thislouis) January 16, 2025
“We had no idea that that was there,” a past president told me. "It’s a total mystery.”
Incredible story in @jdforward:https://t.co/nEFNIe84Aa pic.twitter.com/EaRE0QqvsQ
Over 20 members of the Pasadena Temple lost their homes in the blaze, while others in a nearby senior home narrowly escaped with their lives.
Synagogue members Laurence and Ruth Harris helped the president and the custodian of the temple who were trying to save whatever they could. Together, they managed to salvage 13 Torah scrolls from the flames. The next day, they returned to find the synagogue destroyed. The roof and walls had collapsed, all apart from one remaining wall.
Hidden behind a brick wall for as long as anyone can remember lay a huge desert scene etched into the wall, depicting Middle Eastern men and women, animals and trees. Most prominently, in the center of the wall, a tall palm tree is the focus of attention. Palms symbolize victory, triumph, and righteousness in the Bible, and the astonished members of the Pasadena Temple took it as an encouraging sign.
Monica Levine, one member of the community said, “I think it’s trying to teach us a lesson,” adding that she felt it represented overcoming hardship. “It’s a small miracle,” said another member, Whitman Richardson. Others thought it might portray Israel’s 40-year wandering in the desert, saying the timing of the discovery felt “profound.”
The synagogue has served the community for over 100 years and must now decide where they will meet after being displaced, in some ways mirroring the wandering Israelites. For now, they are meeting in a local Catholic school that offered its facilities to the community.
Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater said in a statement, “Our community is shattered, both spiritually and physically. It’s OK not to be OK.”
As devastating as the loss has been, the revelation of the mural is having a great impact. Grater reflected on the significance of the layers of history revealed by the fire saying, “We’re a people of history. We know in Jerusalem and the land of Israel that you find murals on top of murals and stones on top of stones,” adding, “The fact that this was a hidden mural … is a very Jewish idea.”
Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
