Ken Goldman (b. 1960)
Kaddish Stones, 2004
Pebbles and ink
Museum Collection
Must Know
Many are familiar with the Jewish tradition of laying a small stone upon a grave when visiting the deceased .Despite the popularity of this tradition the history and purpose of this tradition is unclear. Several theories have been proposed in an attempt to explain this action. One possibility is that it was a way of marking gravesites for future generations, stemming from earlier times when gravestones as we now know, were uncommon. Another option is that it is a way of showing respect for the deceased as in “we were here to visit
More Info
In the project “kaddish stones” Ken engraved all 79 words of the mourners “kaddish” onto small stones which he collected in the fields around his home on Kibbutz Shluchot. These stones were to be distributed to people on their way to pay respect to the memory of the 6 million Jews killed in the holocaust. It was his intent that these stones be placed at the various sites of holocaust importance throughout Europe. The stones were meant to attract the eye of future visitors who would then lift the stone and utter the word they find on the stone. As the stones are lifted and words read, a virtual “kaddish’ would be created that would continue as subsequent visitors lift and read the inscribed words
