(Relic) Amos Oz (Hand)

amos oz

This photograph posted on Twitter by his daughter, Fania Oz-Salzberger, of Amos Oz’s  hand before, at, or just after the moment of his passing is both deeply touching and very odd. A frozen photographic image, it is not unlike a contemporary and digital version of a medieval relic or of a momento mori. An object of Zionist fascination, the image now made public is hagiographic. It says so many contradictory things about the physical life represented by a uniquely gifted cultural mediator and the cultural-literary and political-ethical values he represented to his people.

About zjb

Zachary Braiterman is Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion at Syracuse University. His specialization is modern Jewish thought and philosophical aesthetics. http://religion.syr.edu
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2 Responses to (Relic) Amos Oz (Hand)

  1. dmf says:

    he’ll be missed for his individual roles but also I think may also be one of the last novelists to be given a serious place at the table of public debate, as that generation goes I think so too does the role of the fiction writer as something like an informed conscience.

  2. artandarchitecturemainly says:

    Losing a parent presents a loss that is rarely reduced over time. Long life, Fania, and we can all be grateful for the wonderful literature and images that remain from your dad.

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