He wanted to leave his children a piece

that would remind them of his —

and by extension, their — history as Jews.

lives nearby, drops by to say hello. She
sits at the kitchen table.
Her father’s sculpture, she says, “is
a beautiful piece of history. It all came
from his mind.”
Kristina Davidov, who runs a gallery
in San Diego, watched the progression
of the sculpture by Skype. She consid-
ers it an incredible work of art.
“I think it’s beautiful,” she says. “The
time and details my father put in it are
exquisite.” A third daughter, Ilona, also
lives in San Diego.
Davidov is light on his feet, unbowed
by age. The only ailment he speaks of
are his aching hands, which have been

in service of this sculpture. Once spring
comes, he says, his hands will be nim-
ble enough to begin work on smaller
offshoots of Inner Sanctum. Davidov
calls them “collections.”
And he plans to build a rotating ped-
estal for Inner Sanctum so that it can
be viewed in its totality from one spot.
Davidov isn’t interested in selling the
sculpture; he sees it as a legacy piece
that his children and grandchildren
can both learn from and savor.
“The money is not for me very
important,” he says. “This is what I
have in my heart. When I die, my kids
will decide what to do with it.”

*

A view of the Western Wall

An illuminated gate leading to the Western Wall

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January 28 • 2016

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