Smiling Whale
Ilana Goor
Date 1985 | Technique Bronze | Height h.1.80 | Location Old Jaffa
The Prophet Jonah escaped to Tarshish via the Jaffa Port as it is said: “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish...” (Jonah 1:3). Therefore as far as Ilana Goor was concerned it was only natural to sculpt the whale and place it specifically in the area of Old Jaffa close to the port and the Museum building. Goor’s whale is smiling, it does not testify to any drama, event or the storm that took place when it swallowed the prophet as punishment for refusing to carry out God’s work and to announce to the people of Nineveh that they were sinners. The event ends with a happy ending and therefore the sculpture of the whale is also depicted in an optimistic fashion. The fountain that issues from its body also grants it a natural environment and the trickling of the water has become a permanent background sound in the area.
