Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on March 10, 2013

WASHINGTON (CNN) -

An ancient Persian symbol of freedom, tolerance and coexistence has joined documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Emancipation Proclamation in Washington.

The Cyrus Cylinder represents the spirit and ideals of Cyrus, the leader of the Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century B.C. After peacefully conquering Babylon in 539 B.C.and declaring his principles on the cylinder, Cyrus freed the Jewish population of Babylon from long bondage and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.

The Cyrus Cylinder inspired many throughout history -- in particular 18th century Enlightenment philosophers, historians and politicians in Europe and America -- as a source of their thinking on human rights, settling conflicts and leadership.

Thomas Jefferson reportedly owned two copies of the Cyropaedia, Xenophon's biography of Cyrus, and carried it for inspiration and guidance.

Today -- far from ancient Persia and the Enlightenment, in a different, far more divided Middle East -- the United States is struggling to open a window to resolve long-lasting tensions with Iran, tensions entwined closely with the fate of Israel, America's principal ally in the region.

"The Cyrus Cylinder sets up a model to run a multifaith, multifaceted, diverse society, leaving a model of the Middle East as a unit and what it could ideally be," said Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, in a recent TED Talk. The 2,600-year-old, football-sized clay cylinder is on loan from its permanent display at the British Museum in London for a five-city tour that began Saturday in Washington.

"In the Jewish tradition King Cyrus is known as the divinely anointed figure who enabled the Jews to restore their sacred institutions," said Rabbi Sarah Bassin, executive director of the foundation NewGround, a Muslim-Jewish Partnership for Change. "Many in exile chose not to return to Jerusalem and the Holy Land because they felt comfortable and safe with the lives they had in the Persian lands,"

Shared values and common heritage that draw people together are subject to interpretation and can also push people apart. Yet, Bassin argues, "Israel's identity is woven with the ancient stories of the Bible that happened throughout its borders, and now it's helpful to emphasize these core narratives that contain examples of cooperation and coexistence as a reminder that a different paradigm is possible."

Rabbi Marc Gopin, director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University, suggests a country should be defined by the values of its culture and history rather than the policies of its government.

Continue reading here:
Five-city tour began Saturday in Washington

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month
Tags: