Jared Bernstein
Kikel , 2019
acrylic, oil stick and spray paint on canvas
188 x 211 cm
74 x 83 in
KIKEL: THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD “KIKE”
My grandfather Mordechai “Max” Braverman came to Ellis Island in 1913. The Jews were illiterate, and when asked to put an “X” next to their names, they put a circle instead. They were concerned that the “X” looked too similar to a cross. The workers at Ellis Island started calling the Zionist Jews “Kikels,” which is the Yiddish word for circle. Kikel was shortened to Kike. I’m PROUD to be called a Kike; what an HONOR and a PRIVILEGE.
$15,000
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