{"id":1250,"date":"2021-12-20T19:03:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-20T19:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/sinopsis\/"},"modified":"2022-02-05T00:28:55","modified_gmt":"2022-02-05T00:28:55","slug":"synopsis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/synopsis\/","title":{"rendered":"Synopsis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1641926984503{padding-bottom: 100px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;170&#8243;]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eeef81{height:30px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eeef81\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]The mural starts on the left, with a plan from Damasco\u2019s ghetto, from which a Star of David emerges and is placed on Syria\u2019s map; it\u2019s possible to place the main cities of this nation. A jasmine flower, Damasco\u2019s symbol, is fixed on the map. Right away, Syria\u2019s map works as a supporting table for a rabbi that is holding a cup, representing the marriage of Benjam\u00edn\u2019s grandfather with a picture of Abraham and Sarah in the moment where he is giving her the wedding ring. Towards the bottom left corner, we can see the Damascan street where his grandparents lived; next to the alley is a menorah candelabra with only one candle on, symbolizing that out of seven children only Benjam\u00edn\u2019s father, Itzhak, survived. For this very reason, we can see a baby on top; the grandfather died and grandmother Sarah was left a widow with seven kids. To support them, she works cleaning the synagogue, that is why we see a scene with Benjam\u00edn\u2019s father helping his grandmother in the cleaning-temple chores; that is also why the synagogue is presented with columns and arches. [\/vc_column_text]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef150{height:60px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef150\"><\/div>[vc_single_image image=&#8221;172&#8243;]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef212{height:30px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef212\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]Over these arches is the Torah, indicating the religious influence in Benjam\u00edn\u2019s father, who spent a lot of time in the synagogue and was profoundly interested in the religion and sacred scriptures from a young age, until he ultimately became a rabbi. Moving upwards, the soldiers in the trenches are representing World War I, where six of Itzhak\u2019s brothers died of starvation and diseases. On the Torah\u2019s right side, we can find a diagram that stands for Itzhak\u2019s marriage to Neshla Duek, daughter of rabbi Yosef and Esther. This young marriage begot six children (it\u2019s important to note the coincidence between the six brothers that died and the six descendants after that): Abraham, Sarah, Benjam\u00edn, his twin brother Yoseph, Moshe, and Esther.<\/p>\n<p>The genealogical representation is detailed through a twisted branch in the case of Benjam\u00edn and his twin brother: one of the ends of the branch ends in a fruit, where Benjam\u00edn is pictured with his back toward us. This shows he was a diligent kid; he helped a classmate from a well-placed family to study, and everytime he taught him a lesson, he was offered fruit, which he shared with his siblings when he got back to his home, because for his family eating fruit every day was a luxury. The book Benjam\u00edn is reading contains the qualities that distinguished him his whole life, written in Hebrew: He was noble, with a generous heart, loving toward the other, attentive of the ones in need, careful, with sensibility, frank, kind, happy for others\u2019 successes, modest, and humble.<\/p>\n<p>Towards the top, we see the corner of a tailor shop due to Benjam\u00edn\u2019s incursion to this trade when he was 15 years old, which allowed him to know the quality, use, and confection of fabrics. Under the genealogical diagram Benjam\u00edn\u2019s birthdate is written in Hebrew; according to the Hebrew calendar, 22 Kislev 5694 would correspond with December 10, 1933, in the Gregorian calendar; this date is under the cosmic constellation of Sagittarius, that\u2019s why there\u2019s another symbol: the representation of man in the diagram.<\/p>\n<p>Under this, the splendid door from the synagogue The Mnasha, forged with spirals and arborescences, points to the terrorist attack perpetrated on a Friday night during the Sabbath prayers, which ended with the life of over 70 people. This event coincided with Israel\u2019s independence, on May 14, 1948. This terrible incident marked Benjam\u00edn\u2019s life who, despite the pain of separating from his family, decided, as many young members of his community did, to form the second great migration of Syrian Jewish people. This painful exodus to Israel is illustrated in the mural with a panoramic image of the Golan Heights.[\/vc_column_text]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef2e9{height:60px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef2e9\"><\/div>[vc_single_image image=&#8221;174&#8243;]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef3bf{height:30px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef3bf\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]The young soldier giving his back to us is a representation of Benjam\u00edn, who enrolled in the Isreali army for three years in the Independence defense brigades. That is why he\u2019s facing backwards and doing the loyalty military sign\u2014it highlights the particularity of taking part in this historic feat.<\/p>\n<p>On top of the Golan Heights is the Star of David to show the faith that characterized Benjam\u00edn his whole life; a faith that made him follow an ethical path in his actions and relationships, always remaining faithful to his Hebrew origins. Two scenes next to the Star show the main activities that he pursued during his stay in Israel: First, he was a worker in a petrol company. In 1952, the National Oil company was fracking in Lake Tiberias, the Dead Sea, Heletz, and Negev. As Benjam\u00edn was short, he was in charge of climbing to the top of the tower to adjust the coupling and the assembly of the extraction tubes. This fact is showcased with Benjam\u00edn touching a tube and, behind him, a typical fracking tower looking for oil. Next to this picture, we see two workers waterproofing rooftops: They\u2019re Benjam\u00edn and his brother Moshe, who caught up with him in Israel. This was his second job of relevance during that time; above the waterproofing felt is the map of Israel.<\/p>\n<p>The oil tower is pointing to the Venezuelan coat of arms: Benjam\u00edn decided to accept an acquaintance\u2019s invitation to work in Caracas and set a textile fabric in motion in 1955. This man paid for his trip, but, upon arrival at Venezuela, Benjam\u00edn realized that the man wanted him to marry his daughter. Benjam\u00edn worked and lived in the fabric for six months, until it was fully working, without earning a penny. His stay at the fabric is illustrated at the right side of the Venezuelan coat of arms. When Benjam\u00edn let the owner know about his departure and asked for his money, the latter told him that what he had earned was the payment for his airfare and lodging, so Benjam\u00edn decided to leave. An Arab friend, owner of a restaurant, encouraged him to look for another job and offered his house. There, Benjam\u00edn fell in love with his daughter; this story is told in the mural through the Arab words restaurant and relationship, under the Venezuelan coat of arms.<\/p>\n<p>Going downwards, we can see a box with a Star of David, which has a shirt coming out of it, representing Benjam\u00edn\u2019s encounter with a man from Damasco that had a shirt store. Benjam\u00edn entered the shirt-selling business with such great success that he bought a car, the one that\u2019s painted under the shirt. Next to Benjam\u00edn facing backwards dressed in military uniform is a box for cleaning shoes; more than a work tool, this is a wonderful Syrian craft, an object that Benjam\u00edn brought with him during one of his trips to Damasco, as a token symbolizing that, had he not left Syria, that would have been his fate. The car is painted as if it were going down a slope, which symbolizes the decision to give up the path treaded in Venezuela, particularly for a relationship that would go against his Jewish roots. Right next to the military beret, we can see a Hebrew word: friend; this is a reference to Raful Cameo, a Syrian friend that invited Benjam\u00edn to move to Mexico City (which map is on display to represent this trip as a transcendent option) in 1957.<\/p>\n<p>In the same year that Benjam\u00edn arrived to Mexico City, he got married; that is why we see the scene with Benjam\u00edn signing the certificate and Rebeca Farca Romano, his wife, smiling next to him in an upward direction. Benjam\u00edn fell in love with her, and she was the niece of his friend Raful, pictured behind her with another friend, Jack Penhos, who would become Benjam\u00edn\u2019s business partner later on.[\/vc_column_text]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef45c{height:60px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef45c\"><\/div>[vc_single_image image=&#8221;176&#8243;]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef500{height:30px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef500\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]Next to this scene, we can see the street la Academia, where the first crinoline fabric was settled, in downtown Mexico City. Moving up, we can find the young face of his brother Moshe, who was always close to him, both in Israel and Mexico. Under him, we can see the Carnaval\u2019s logo, Benjam\u00edn\u2019s and Moshe\u2019s children-clothes fabric, which they founded in association with Jack Penthos and his kids Isaac and Marcos.<\/p>\n<p>To the right side of the fabric in la Academia street, there\u2019s an alley from Safed. This image is interesting because it symbolized the beginning of a new chapter: Benjam\u00edn dared to open a company in Israel in 1963, but it did not prosper due to the economic conditions of the time. Benjam\u00edn decided to go back to Mexico in 1965. The sewing machine represents the gift that his parents-in-law, Abraham Farca and Bulin Romano, gave to him. With this machine Rebeca and him made crinolines, which they sold in markets at first. The mannequin stand for the transition from crinoline production to women\u2019s intimate clothing, when Benjam\u00edn separated from his Carnaval partners. With Moshe, he decided to restructure the company and call it Carnival, that\u2019s why their logo is placed on top of the previous images. Years later they would get 50% of the actions of Warshow de M\u00e9xico under another business name, which is depicted with the Lycratex logo. The rummy cards placed on top of the logo are a callback to Benjam\u00edn\u2019s likeness of this game. Above them are a compass and a watch: Benjam\u00edn always said that, in life, direction was more important than time. The grill that is down them represents his love to do barbecues on the weekends. This item is placed next to a series of flags from different countries, which portray the commercial and friendly relationships that Benjam\u00edn had internationally.[\/vc_column_text]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef597{height:60px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef597\"><\/div>[vc_single_image image=&#8221;178&#8243;]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef612{height:30px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef612\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]At the top, Moshe\u2019s face has a masbaha next to it. Benjam\u00edn had it with him always, it was an important part of his reflections. On its right, we can see a building, which stands for the diversity his real estate businesses had. Under this is the logo of Assa, the industrial group that Benjam\u00edn consolidated. Further down is a postcard from Damasco\u2019s public square, where Ely Cohen, Israeli spy, was hanged; under this image Martyr square is written in Arab. This fact happened before Benjam\u00edn embarked on his first trip to Damasco to see his parents and his siblings Yoseph and Esther; it had been 26 years since he had last seen them. It was dangerous to travel to Syria during that time, so he came up with a plan to make a secret trip in 1974. He looked for allies in the United States, the reason why the Statue of Liberty appears. Next to it, we can see the face of the Jewish community in Damasco\u2019s president, Selim Totah, who collaborated with Benjam\u00edn in creating a relationship with the Syrian authorities in order to allow the trips that would let him see his parents and family in the future, along with allowing the visit of Syrian Jews that had emigrated from Damasco that wished to meet with their families. Thanks to the permit of arrival and departure from Syria, Benjam\u00edn helped thousands of fellow Jews to save themselves from future oppressions towards the Jewish community in Syria. Benjam\u00edn did a colossal task to reach his goal, going through several protocol interventions with letters from different authorities, including ones from the United States, England, Israel, Mexico, and Syria. Under the Statue of Liberty are various characters with suitcases, some of which moved to other countries such as Mexico and the U.S., but others moved to Israel, which is represented with a man facing backwards, next to the grill, waving the Israel flag.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to draw attention to the diaspora caused by Benjam\u00edn\u2019s cunning, nobleness, and courage. In the top right corner are his parents: rabbi Itzhak, with a masbahana, and Neshla on a wheelchair. Under them is the headline of a London newspaper that talked about the good treatment the Damascan authorities had towards the members of the Jewish community: It was a lie, but it was part of Benjam\u00edn\u2019s plan to befriend Syrian authorities and succeed in bringing immigrants together with their families. Between 1974 and 1976, thousands of Jewish people that lived in diaspora visited Damasco. <\/p>\n<p>The grasshopper that\u2019s under the newspaper is Chapultepec\u2019s symbol, which represents the grievous death of Rebeca in 1976 after their second trip to Damasco with their children Isaac, Esther, and Sof\u00eda, and with their friends Jacobo and Cecilia Romano, and Salom\u00f3n and Pola Saad\u00eda. The incident happened after a barbecue in Chapultepec to celebrate their homecoming from the trip, with the Farca and Romano families. <\/p>\n<p>Benjam\u00edn became a widow with five children that were between 2 and 17 years old. Under the Statue of Liberty\u2019s plinth second marriage is written in Hebrew, which signifies Benjam\u00edn\u2019s second wedding, with Adela Masri Haber, who is on the left side of Neshla\u2019s chair. Adela and Benjam\u00edn had three kids: Raquel and the twins Jos\u00e9 and David. In the mural, all of them are together to symbolize the union between them; they are depicted as a waterfall of faces that is led by rabbi Itzhak and Neshla. Next to Adela we can see Raquel\u2019s and the twins\u2019 faces; transversally, on the left, are Jenny, Esther, and towards the front, Sof\u00eda, Lucy Am\u00e9rica, and Isaac. Under Lucy Am\u00e9rica we find a detail of the Lycratex plant, located in Atizap\u00e1n de Zaragoza. The mannequin has a double meaning: it alludes to the acquisition of Lartel from the Pliana Group in Tlaxcala, and, as with the flags, it represents the exportation of clothing, fabrics, and confections made by Lycratex. Benjam\u00edn did not only establish commercial international relationships, but he also made friendships throughout the world, which remember his honorableness and humbleness. He belongs to the kind of human beings that have accomplishments due to effort. [\/vc_column_text]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef6c4{height:60px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef6c4\"><\/div>[vc_single_image image=&#8221;1097&#8243;]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef762{height:30px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef762\"><\/div>[vc_column_text]The mural ends with a partial effigy of Benjam\u00edn with a cigar while he\u2019s laughing, as if he were looking at his life\u2019s trajectory. We can see how, due to the mural\u2019s composition, some of his children are looking at him, and they all have a smile of admiration. [\/vc_column_text]<style>.ld_spacer_6a37118eef800{height:50px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"ld-empty-space ld_spacer_6a37118eef800\"><\/div><div  class=\"lqd-simple-heading-wrap ld_simple_heading_6a37118eef8eb\">\n<h4 class=\"lqd-simple-heading\">\n\tBritain, fall and winter 2020<\/h4>\n<\/div><div  class=\"lqd-simple-heading-wrap ld_simple_heading_6a37118eefc43\">\n<h4 class=\"lqd-simple-heading\">\n\tJulio Carrasco Bret\u00f3n<\/h4>\n<\/div>[\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1641926984503{padding-bottom: 100px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;170&#8243;][vc_column_text]The mural starts on the left, with a plan from Damasco\u2019s ghetto, from which a Star of David emerges and is placed on Syria\u2019s map; it\u2019s possible to place the main cities of this nation. A jasmine flower, Damasco\u2019s symbol, is fixed on the map. Right away, Syria\u2019s map [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1250","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1250"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1262,"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1250\/revisions\/1262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/benjaminassa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}