Seraphic Secret

Robert J. Avrech: Emmy Award winning screenwriter. Movie fanatic. Helplessly and hopelessly in love with my wife since age nine.

The Story of Ruth Reenacted 100 Years Ago in Israel

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Photo portrait of "Ruth the Moabitess" (Library of Congress)
Ruth, as enacted by a member of the American Colony in Israel 100 years ago.

The Jewish holiday of Shavuot,  Pentecost, begins this coming Saturday night.  The holiday has several traditional names: Shavuot, the festival of weeks, marking seven weeks after Passover; Chag HaKatzir, the festival of reaping grains, and Chag HaBikkurim, the festival of first fruits.  Shavuot, according to Jewish tradition, is the day the Children of Israel accepted the Torah at Mt. Sinai.  It is also believed to be the day of King David’s birth and death.

Chanting the Book of Ruth in synagogue is central to Shavuot. Ruth, a Moabite and widow of a Jewish man (and a Moabite princess according to commentators), gives up her life in Moab to join her Jewish mother-in-law, Naomi, in the Land of Israel. Ruth insists on remaining with the impoverished Naomi and converting to Judaism.

A major plot point is Ruth going to the local fields where barley and wheat are being harvested so that she can collect charitable handouts.  She gleans in the fields of Boaz, a judge and a relative of Ruth’s dead husband (as such he has a levirate obligation to marry the widow).  The union results in a child, Obed, the grandfather of King David.

The members of the American Colony were pious Christians who established their community in Israel.  They were steeped in the Bible and photographed countryside scenes that referred to biblical incidents and prohibitions. These photos are their charming reenactment of the Ruth narrative.

 

Ruth said, “Do not ask me to leave you, to return from following you, for wherever you go, I will go... Your people shall be my people, your God my God.”
Ruth said, “Do not ask me to leave you, to return from following you, for wherever you go, I will go… Your people shall be my people, your God my God.”

 

And Naomi and Ruth both went on until they arrived at Bethlehem.
And Naomi and Ruth both went on until they arrived at Bethlehem.

 

Ruth came to a field that belonged to Boaz who was of the family of Naomi's deceased husband.
Ruth came to a field that belonged to Boaz who was of the family of Naomi’s deceased husband.

 

Boaz said to his servant, who stood over the reapers, "To whom does this maiden belong?"
Boaz said to his servant, who stood over the reapers, “To whom does this maiden belong?”

 

Boaz said to Ruth, “Do not go to glean in another field...here you shall stay with my maidens.”
Boaz said to Ruth, “Do not go to glean in another field…here you shall stay with my maidens.”

 

Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here and partake of the bread...” He ordered his servants, “Pretend to forget some of the bundles for her.”
Boaz said to her at mealtime, “Come here and partake of the bread…” He ordered his servants, “Pretend to forget some of the bundles for her.”

 

Ruth carried it to the city and Naomi saw what she had gleaned.
Ruth carried it to the city and Naomi saw what she had gleaned.

 

Ruth came to the threshing floor and Boaz said, "Ready the shawl you are wearing and hold it," and she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley.... A major effort was made by the photographers to re-enact the story of Ruth, probably in the fields near Bethlehem. "Ruth," we believe, was a young member of the American Colony community; the remaining "cast" were villagers from the Bethlehem area who were actually harvesting, threshing and winnowing their crops. Unfortunately, we don't know when the "Ruth and Boaz series" was photographed, but we estimate approximately 100 years ago.
Ruth came to the threshing floor and Boaz said, “Ready the shawl you are wearing and hold it,” and she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley….

A major effort was made by the photographers to reenact the story of Ruth, probably in the fields near Bethlehem. “Ruth,” we believe, was a young member of the American Colony community; the remaining cast were villagers from the Bethlehem area who were actually harvesting, threshing and winnowing their crops. Unfortunately, we don’t know when the “Ruth and Boaz series” was photographed, but we estimate approximately 100 years ago.

Via: Israel’s History, A Picture A Day

There are dozens of “Ruth” photographs found in the Library of Congress’ American Colony collection.  See more of the pictures here.

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  1. I am a Christian. This is one of my favorite books of the Bible. I cannot thank you enough for posting Robert. BTW – I want to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your book “The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden”. Not only was the story fascinating but I learned so much about orthodox Jews. Great read. Claudia

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