Faith Features

The Pilgrimage of Psalms was first created five years ago by the Oxford Scribes as a celebration of their twentieth anniversary. The calligraphers have written the Twentieth Psalm in several world languages. Each uses the same fine A3 paper and black lettering with red illumination. The psalms have stood the test of time well and look splendid in the Etz Chaim Gallery at the Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue.

For radio purposes, we decided to record the psalms in as many languages as we could manage. We met on a pouring wet October morning. I read the psalm in English and then resurrected my long lost German. My friend and colleague Judi Herman rendered French and Latin. Meanwhile concert pianist and kindertansport holocaust survivor Nellie Ben-Or dropped by to add the Polish version.

Our trump card though was Rabbi Hillel Athius-Robles. Hillel is from Costa Rica and he was able to add Dutch, Spanish and of course Hebrew.

I really enjoyed mixing the readings together along with commentary by Judi and myself. Readers of this website can see  photographs of the psalms and I hope with have done justice to the beauty of the calligraphy.

If you would like to host the Pilgrimage of Psalms, contact the Oxford Scribes.