The Zodiac

“The Zodiac is Jewish. In all synagogues we have record of in the Holy Land and into the 2nd, 3rd, 4th century we see the zodiac. The Jews count their calendar by the moon, and the zodiac is a reference to God’s heavens, a heavenly reference to the stars, and here we see the zodiac as we would expect to see it in a synagogue.”

— Thomas Hubka, Author of Resplendent Synagogue, Architecture and Worship in an Eighteenth-Century Polish Community.

“We may be surprised when we see the Zodiac in the Gwozdziec synagogue... For many people it's associated with mysticism... It (the zodiac) is very Jewish in its artistic development because it occurs in many synagogues throughout eastern Europe and there’s different variations. Interestingly, the literal translation of the expression mazel tov is have a good sign. It is a very powerful way of understanding the zodiac or understanding a basic Jewish expression as embedded in the zodiac, an expression to have a good day, have a good sign. It’s not mystical. It means you should have good luck.”
— Statement from Thomas Hubka, Author of Resplendent Synagogue, Architecture andWorship in an Eighteenth-Century Polish Community.

Gwen Zabicki and Case Randall painting the Cancer and Virgo signs on the East Zodiac at the painting workshop in The Temple Synagogue, Krakow, 2011.

WEST WALL

PISCES

AQUARIUS

CAPRICORN

SOUTH WALL

TAURUS

GEMINI

ARIES

EAST WALL

VIRGO

LEO

CANCER

NORTH WALL

SCORPIO

SAGITTARIUS

LIBRA

Image credits:

Top: Detail of West, South, East, and North Zodiac from the photograph of Central Cupola of Gwoździec Synagogue. Photograph by A Breier, Collection and Copyright of Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Middle: Drawing of West, South, East, and North Zodiac Zodiac panel in the cupola vault, drawn by K. Maszkowski, 1891- 1898, photographer unknown, coll. PAU.

Bottom: Finished West, South, East, and North Zodiac panel painted by Handshouse Studio painting workshop participants for the Gwozdziec Re!construction project in The Temple Synagogue, Krakow, 2011.

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