Elvis's Graceland and Was He Jewish And Where You See The Six Pointed Star

When I lived in the USA I was astonished and impressed by the number of museums which had relics of Elvis. you did not need to go to the place where he lived and died, Graceland, to see things related to him, cars, clothes, guitars. When I went to a stand at the World Travel Market in London, which used to be open to the public, at least on some days, then when it got busier, reduced to trade only,  I met a toruist board rep who alerted me to the idea that Elvis might have a Jewish ancestor. Elvis had a star of David, magen David in Hebrew, on the left of his mother's gravestone, and was the Sabbath goy, the non Jewish person who turns on the light, most importantly the cooer, on the Sabbath when Jews, and their employed live-in servants, are supposed to be resting. 

However, I finally found the details and debate in an article on the Who Do You Think You Are magazine, which you can subscribe to and read and buy back issues online. This article seems to be free online, perhaps as a come on - very effective. It gives details of how much time and effort can go into research and what to look for.

One of the most interesting additional facts for me was how widespread the six pointed star is.  Regonized and used by many religions in additional to Judaism, others before, after, and alongside, or far away. 

I first saw a star of David on a non-Jewish building in India. 

Where can you see the six pointed star?

1 Israel and worldwide: In blue on the flag of Israel.

2 USA Engraved on the left of the gravestone of Elvis Presley's mother. On Synagogues.

3 India On a big building in Mumbia (formerly Bombay)

4 Singapore On the front of the synagogues and on buildings built by Jews in previous centuries.

Where can you see Elvis sites?

1 Birthplace Tupelo and Elvis Museum, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

Photo by Ron Cogswell, in Wikipedia, article on Elvis
Tupelo, Mississippi, USA. Birthplace museum.

2 Graceland, USA

3 Hollwood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, California, USA

Elvis Presley Burial site, Graceland, USA.

https://www.facebook.com/EPNashvilleFans/posts/gladys-presleys-original-headstone-is-now-displayed-at-graceland-in-the-mediatio/1933872546675532/

Elvis's parents. On the left is his mother Grace Love, later Presley.

Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, USA

Description	English: Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
Date	2 December 2013, 20:56:40
Source	Own work
Author	Michael Rivera

Useful Websites

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2015/12/elvis-enthusiasts-where-to-see-elvis.html?m=0

 Was Elvis Presley Jewish?: https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/52/2022/08/GettyImages-961946124-1788d1d.jpeg

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/top-places-elvis-presley-fans

Elvis Sites - Here are my favourites:
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Sun studio (museum, hourly tours led by a musician, photo spots, food).
Graceland and Gravesite in Graceland.

Elvis Sites Websites
http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/aug/17/top-10-elvis-presley-memphis-attractions
graceland.com
http://travelblog.viator.com/11-sights-and-tours-perfect-for-the-elvis-fan/
http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-sites.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Hawaii
His pink Cadillac is in Graceland. Read about his cars and Australia connections here:
http://www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis_presleys_1955_pink_cadillac.shtml

I just discovered a new wiki, wikitree

https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/PRESLEY

Please share links to your favourite posts 

Lithuania, the great Vilna Gaon and Extraordinary Synagogues With Paintings or Birds and Animals

 Lithuania has an extraordinary past, present and future.

Napoleon admired it.

The old cobbled streets have a heritage status from Unesco. 

There is also a new town with stunning skyscrapers. 

But the old synagogues are extraordinary. Here is a synagogue with paintings showing animals such as a lion and a humped camel or dromedary. Birds fly across the ceiling.

Synagogue in Lithuania with blue walls and ceiling and paintings

Synagogue in Lithuania. A stork perches on the top of a tree. The predominant colour is blue.

Lithuania. Statue.

Postage stamp of lithuano showing Vilnius synagogue. 

Synagogue in Lithuania.

Synagogue in Lithuania.

Useful Websites

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including  Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts.

Chinese TV, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Buddhism and Philanthropy Worldwide

In Hong Kong I watched TV programmes transmitted in Mandarin, made in Taiwan. My friend's family TV, she said, got only Chinese programmes. However, we were able to see BBC and Sky TV news in English.

Two interesting Chinese programmes:

Starting the day with a Buddhist meditation. The woman who started the modern movement including the TV programme read the scriptures which appeared on the screen as Chinese subtitles. My friend translated some of the sayings for me. She also had a book of the Buddhist scripture.

The pictures were mainly of calming scenes from nature, waterfalls, trees, flowers and skies. This was followed by news items about the social work done. For example, helping the homeless with showers and a set of clothes and a cv to help them find work. Also building them a dormitory with bunks, it looked like four to a room.

I've seen similar programmes from elsewhere in the world. It seems to me that charity workers all over the world are following each other's principles or discovering them simultaneously.

If you watch Catholic programmes you will see Mother Teresa and good works. Catholics in France collect by passing a box at wedding ceremonies in church.

If you read literature from Israel or the Jews you learn about all their programmes sending water and sniffer dogs to disasters and sending doctors. The synagogue magazines contain appeals. Jews collect from the congregations with an appeal at New Year.

The same applies to liberal Muslims and orthodox muslims. They give a proportion of their money to good causes all year and at certain festivals.

Many Chinese and Indian and African families unite all their funds to send the brightest child to school or a training college or university, then to work, at home or overseas. That 'child' then uses funds to repay and look after the elderly and/or to send young siblings and cousins or one or two or three other members of the same village to get educated and/or to build a school.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author and speaker.

Yes, you do speak HEBREW !

Shalom - peace or hello, same root in Aramaic as the Arabic salaam.  Do you know the names Bethlehem and Elizabeth, Benjamin, Reuben, Joseph and Joel, ?  And the words seraphim and cherubim? The plural in Hebrew is im.

Bible
cherubim seraphim

Placenames
Beth is house
Bethlehem is house of bread

Personal Names
Elizabeth - beth is a building or house. Modern Hebrew would be Beit. T or TH?
Ben is son of
Benjamin son of my right hand. You will find this noted in the small print at the bottom of the page in many annotated copies of The Bible. (Also known in the Jewish community as The Hebrew Bible, and to Christians as the Old Testament.)
Reuben - see - a son!

Ja or Jo is one of the old names of God. Hence Jaweh, and Jehovah, as in Jehova's witness.
Many names begin with Jo.
Another name is El (as in Allah)
So Joel combines both versions of the Lord.

Seeing, Translating and Learning Hebrew
Where can you hear modern Hebrew?
In Israel. Songs on discs and YouTube.

Where can you hear ancient Hebrew?
In synagogues worldwide.

Where can you see Hebrew?
 In prayerbooks in synagogues and libraries. On the walls of synagogues. For example, UK, Spain. On street signs in Israel. In Jewish cemeteries. On Jewish tours in cities in countries such as: Warsaw, Poland; Amsterdam in the Netherlands; Ireland; London, UK; New York, USA.

Where can you learn Hebrew?
Work on a kibbutz in Israel.
In the UK and USA Rabbis and other Teachers of Hebrew who coach Barmitzvah boys. Ask for group lessons or individual coaching at the nearest synagogue.

From the web.
Online teachers of Hebrew, based in Israel.
Jewish graves in Find a grave.
Websites about travel and monuments in Israel.
Note that the language is written from right to left, and books are reversed and start with the first page at 'the back'. The same applies to arabic. An Arabic speaking Moslem friend of mine was amazed and amused to find that Hebrew was 'just like Arabic'.

Related Names


Easy Placenames
Tel Aviv - tel is hill and Aviv is spring.
jerusalem - salem/shalom/salaam means peace - city of peace

Some more place names
Tel Aviv
Tel is hill. Aviv is spring.
Beer Sheba. Beer is well. Sheba or seba is seven. Seven wells.
Count 1-4: echad, shtaim, shalosh, arba.
If you ever learned Israeli dancing, the caller will count 1-4 in Hebrew.

Jerusalem
City of Peace. (If only!) Salem or Shalom, like the Arabic Salaam, means peace.
The author Sholom Aleichem - his name means Peace Be With you. You might know the song, Jerusalaim, shel bahav. Jerusalem, city of gold.
See my blog on Yiddish.

Wikipedia has the Hebrew alphabet.