QUESTIONS! QUESTIONS! QUESTIONS!
Oy! Does anybody out there know why there is a star of David hanging above the Fort Santiago gate in this turn of the century photograph? I don't remember the Israeli Occupation period in Philippine History so it really is quite a curious sight. I received this photo through an email being circulated by a man named Jeff Yap who is also wondering the same thing. Thanks man, for raising the question. And anybody out there got some answers to this? I wonder if it has any connection to the fact that right above the star is a wooden carving of Saint James beheading some Moors.
posted by carlosceldran @ 9:55 PM
17 Comments:
Was it really there? Could be computer-generated?
It is very unsual. I haven't seen that in any of the many photos i've seen of the gate.
The six-pointed star isn't unique to Israel or even Judaism. It pops up in various places, including Morocco.
My guess is that might be part of the answer. Moroccan regulars in the Spanish army had the six-pointed star as part of their regimental symbolism. In fact, the flag of Spanish Morocco had the six-pointed star for a while (the Makhzen sign) but this wasn't until the 20th century.
You can see a picture here of a regimental flag (er-Rif)
http://www.flaggenshop.com/fotw/flags/es%5Eregul.html
This is all just a guess, of course!
Addendum: So maybe that has something to do with the Moor beheading: does the Fort Santiago gate celebrate the Spanish victory over the Moors and the emblem represent Spanish dominion over Morocco?
Another way to check this is too look at the other seven gates -- Postigo, Santa Lucia, Real, Parian, Isabel II, Santo Domingo, and Almacenes -- and see if there's a pattern.
..and my Google-fu and procrastination is on a roll.
The pillars are like the pillars you see on the Spanish coat of arms, and they represent the Pillars of Hercules, i.e. the Straits of Gibraltar. (The "plus ultra" you see wrapped around the pillars in the Spanish emblem refers to the empire, i.e. Straits of Gibraltar and MORE!)
So this is coming together: St. James triumphant over the Moors, possible Moroccan symbol inside the Pillars of Hercules on the gate of a city built on Muslim town defended by a fort...yeah take that Ambeth Ocampo.
what a remarkable group of info scavengers! thanks you guys!
That is really curious. Is that Jewish triangle still there? Perhaps the Jewish community in Manila around the turn of the century was more influential than we know. Is there a Jewish syn in Manila? There would be a good source of information on their time in Manila. This is fascinating stuff, Carlos. I'll crosspost this if you can find more details. Keep this one alive. Thanks.
Perhaps this should be sent to the Israeli embassy and also to the synagogue in Makati. There's been a long standing but small jewish community in the Philippines.
It's probably only coincidental. The Star of David became widely used as a symbol of Judaism only after the emancipation of French Jews post-1800. Considering how rabid the Spanish Inquisition was, they would have stamped out any display of Judaism on their showcase fortress. But an interesting tangent to this issue is: since Manila was very far from Spain, could there have been hidden Jews who found shelter in the colony? After all, there are plausible accounts of such refugees in 17th and 18th century New Mexico, with some old families retaining traditions of quaint practices, including ritual ablutions.
oh my god. it's so Dan Brown!
monalisa
Could it be masonic? It was known that there were Sp. Gov-gens who were masons like Carlos Ma. dela Torre and Emilio? Terrero y Perinat. Just a guess though.
hi Carlos,
Haven't the Philippines not been influenced by India ? Maybe it is not the Star of David but simply a Hindu religious emblem like one can see on a lot of temples or tombs (e.g. Humayun Tomb in New Delhi)around India (at least in the North, i don't know about the Southern part of India). Keep us posted because this is intriguing. Bonne annee 2006. Anita
i think anonymous google fu and Henry Ma have the most logical guesses...
I collect Stars of David on my Blog, which is dedicated solely to them
(http://star-of-david.blogspot.com/)
Can I publish there this photo ?
BTW you are invited to send this photo to our Flickr Group which is called Stars of David around the world (jewish stars) at www.flickr.com/groups/65024247@N00/
By all means, publish it. I too took it from somewhere else.
Cheers.
To all who are wondering why there is a Star of David in Fort Santiago. That is a Torah Scroll Ark, the columns beside it and the crown on top. That is a Jewish symbol because most of the Catholic converts at that time are Spanish Jews who fled the Spanish Inquisition of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand and they settled in different Spanish speaking countries. So most who have Spanish blood are Jews, because it is been so long, the convertion and intermarriage, most people doesn't know that they have Jewish blood but some are finding it out now and they are called anusim.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anusim. It is written in the bible that God will scatter them to the uttermost part of the earth that is why almost every country has Jews, yes even Morocco and other Islamic countries like Iran. Also in Asia, Japan and China. But God promise He will gather them back and he is doing just that.
Fort Santiago was used as a prison for Jews during the Japanese Occupation. The Japanese were suspicious of the small Jewish community in Manila, and routinely arrested and tortured and questioned them in the dungeons of the Fort. If the sign is wooden, it may not have been part of the original 15th century structure, but an addition during WWII. One can determine that by dating the wood. You can read more about the Jewish prisoners at the Fort in Escape to Manila: From Nazi Tyranny to Japanese Terror
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