Knesset menorah

Knesset menorah by Bruno Elkin. 

Rabbi Hillel and student

This 15 foot bronze menorah stands just outside the Knesset (Israeli parliament).  It was a gift of the British to the new nation of Israel, and is based on a menorah that stood outside the First Temple in Jerusalem.  Our guide Miche spent a great deal of time explaining the stories filling every section of the menorah.  It's the entire story of the Jewish people on a single menorah, from biblical times to the establishment of the modern nation of Israel. I was particularly taken with the sculpture of Hillel, a Jewish scholar and rabbi who lived two thousand years ago.  He was once approached by a non-Jew to explain Judaism while "standing on one leg" (i.e. quickly).  Hillel replied: "What is hateful to you, do not unto your fellow man: this is the whole Law; the rest is mere commentary."