The Second Temple for Lilliputians
The Romans destroyed Herod’s Temple more than 2,000 years ago. Now Alex Garrard, a 78-year-old British farmer, is hand-crafting a replica. At 20 feet by 12 feet, the mock-up is 1/100 of the size of the original.
“I have been working on it for decades but it will never be finished as I’m always finding something new to add,” the model-maker recently told The Daily Telegraph.
Still, the project has won the attention and approval of historical experts. Many say that the painted clay bricks, the courtyard and 4,000 half-an-inch tall figurines offer an accurate portrayal of what the Temple actually looked like. Not surprisingly, Garrard’s process is quite painstaking: He cuts plywood frames for the walls and buildings and bakes the clay bricks in the oven so they stick together.
Visitors come from far and wide to see the re-creation with the binoculars that the craftsman supplies. But the model appears to be safe from any enemies; it resides in a massive structure in Garrard’s Norfolk, England backyard.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
