Shmira / The Watch – 🏛️ Currently on Museum Exhibition

Cultural, Historical & Educational Context: The Ritual of Shmira „Shmira (The Watch)” addresses one of the most sacred and intimate rites of passage in Jewish tradition — Shmira (Hebrew: שְׁמִירָה, meaning guarding or watching). According to Halakha (Jewish law), a deceased person (niftar) must never be left unaccompanied from the moment of death until burial. Those undertaking this duty — the shomrim (watchers) — maintain a continuous, prayerful vigil reciting Psalms. This act represents the highest form of Chesed shel Emet (true loving-kindness), a selfless mitzvah performed for someone who cannot reciprocate.

In the pre-war shtetl, this solemn responsibility was organized by the Chevra Kadisha (Holy Burial Society), uniting the community in collective reverence for human dignity.

Visual Analysis, Composition, and Symbolism Marek Hausmann employs an elevated bird’s-eye perspective, granting the composition a contemplative, transcendent dimension. At the center lies the deceased wrapped in a simple white burial shroud (tachrichim). In Jewish thought, the pocketless white shroud serves as a profound symbol of absolute equality before the Creator, emphasizing that earthly wealth and status vanish at the threshold of eternity.

Surrounding the figure, Hasidim and community members form a protective, sacred circle of prayer. The striking visual contrast between the pure white shroud, the dark textures of the mourners’ garments, and the warm, flickering glow of memorial candles evokes an aura of solemn quietude.

Hausmann’s „Shmira” stands as a painted Kaddish — a visual tribute to the profound communal bonds and unbroken dignity that sustained shtetl life through the most sacred transitions of existence.

Technical Specifications:

• Title: Shmira (The Watch) / Czuwanie (Szmira)

• Series: Kaddish for Shtetl (from the 22-canvas cycle)

• Artist: Marek Hausmann

• Medium: Oil on canvas

• Dimensions: 60 × 80 cm (approx. 23.6 × 31.5 in)

• Year: 2026

• Signature: Signed by the artist

• Authenticity: Accompanied by an official Certificate of Authenticity (COA) signed by the artist.