The Golem

The Golem has his own monument in Poznań to commemorate the little known fact that it's creator- Judah Loew ben Bezalel originated from Poznań.
Although this amorphous creature dates back to Biblical times the most famous Golem story comes from Prague where Judah Loew ben Bezalel also known as the Maharal created a golem to defend the Jewish district from antisemitic riots. The narrative may be considered just folklore but the creator is a real historic person. Born in Poznań, he studied in various yeshivas in Poland where he was introduced to Jewish mysticism. With time he became the chief rabbi of Moravia (Czech territory) from which he later resigned and founded his own yeshiva in Prague. In 1584 he obtained the position of chief rabbi of Poznań and perhaps even of all Poland. After 14 years he moved back to Prague and became it's chief rabbi.

So to join these places a monument of Golem was founded in Poznań. The statue was made by David Černý, a controversial Czech artist, who's works can be found in Prague and Liberec. Due to the often scandalous nature of his sculptures, Poznań is only the third European city to have his work permanently in public space. Not that we're so open or anything, there was actually a little scare among the city's conservatives when the decision was announced. But he must of have been aware of how much controversy art can cause in Poland because there's nothing remotely shocking in the sculptor.
That's it from me, have a great week.