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Sandy Rosen-Hazen P.O. Box 1123 Safed 13111 ISRAEL
Tel: 011-972-4-697-0162 Fax: 001-208-279-3422
http://groups.msn.com/SandysPhotosChildrenElephants
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Hi, fellow elephant lovers.....
I'm so happy to make your acquaintance!!!!
Thank you for welcoming me to your delightful group.....
and for including me on your mailing list.....I'm a huge
elephant fan.....hearing about poachers really sickens me
& I wish there were something I could do to STOP them!!!!
I'm also a real fan of South Africa.....I love visiting there and
spending lots of time with the magnificent African elephants!!!!
I think ALL elephants are wonderful!!!! Of course, I love them
ALL.....albeit, I "prefer" African (rather than Asian) elephants,
because of how well I've always been able to communicte with
them telepathically!!!! In fact, I am really quite sure that I was
an African elephant in one of my past lives!!!!
Many of you, in this Group, surely agree with me about disliking
elephants in Circuses.....it always pains me to see the abuse they
suffer.....REALLY AWFUL!!!! One hundred years ago, the Circuses had
so much more respect for their animals, but nowadays no one
seems to care anymore!!!!
Though I no longer collect stuffed elephants (gave all that I had
to my grandchildren a while ago).....I hang on to just a few of the
really spectacular ones.....one cute Mammoth (from my namesake
granddaughter, Sandy), a cuddly Teddy-Bear type (from my son)
and a "Jumbo".....the ONE Circus elephant I've always loved!!!!
BTW: Jumbo was the original Barnum & Bailey Elephant & was
African.....he died (got hit by a train) in 1885 and thereafter B&B
used only Indian elephants.....when, recently, it was Jumbo's 130th
anniversary, a commemorative stuffed version of him was released
& he is absolutely gorgeous (you can see him and lots more of the
members of my elephant collection on my Web Site)!!!! It's located
at: http://groups.msn.com/SandysPhotosChildrenElephants
A little about me.....(lots more follows below in the "P.S."):
I'm a retired University professor....living in Israel for the past
25 years.....originally from Providence, Rhode Island.....now a
very proud grandmother, with 25 grandchildren and 3 great-
grandchildren.....as well as an ardent collector (and lover)
of elephants all of my life (ie: 64 years)!!!!
Inventory is not easy, for sure.....I admire anyone's efforts in
doing his/her collection!!!! When I needed to do the inventory
for the Guinness Book of World Records.....I had to have many
people help me.....and it was exhausting work for all of us!!!!
BTW: My total number of elephants is now 4,622!!!!
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, I have the
world's largest Elephant Collection!!!! My elephants began in
curio cabinets, but rapidly spread out throughout every room
of my house.....the ones inside the glass doors do stay cleaner
longer, but nevertheless, still manage to attract dust!!!! I clean
all of them, section by section, as lovingly (& as often) as I can,
but, have problems with my hands & break way too many!!!!
If you're interested in my special interest, elephant collecting.....
I want to VERY highly recommend an absolutely incredible book:
"Everything Elephants, A Collector's Pictoral Encyclopedia" from
Schiffer Publishing written by Michael Don Knapik, whose Web Site
(Home of the fantastic International Elephant Collectors Society) is:
http://www.everythingelephants.com/index.htm ....this book seems to
be written just for folks like us.....it is SO incredible.....I love
it!!!!
I was totally amazed to discover SO very many other elephant
collectors around the world.....I would never have dreamed this
would be the case, albeit am thrilled to know I'm not alone in my
obsession with my favorite animal, the elephant!!!!
Would really love to hear more about you, Ed, and would be
glad to become e-pals with you.....it's always SO nice "meeting"
people with similar interests, on-line, as well as in person.....if
you'd like to stay in touch, please send me your e-mail @ddress!!!!
In today's world of mass-communication and fast air travel,
Israel is definitely NOT so far away, even though it may be
quite a distance from where you are located!!!!
Please KNOW that you are most sincerely invited to see my
elephant collection in person!!!! My children are all married
and I have LOTS of room for visitors.....you are more than
welcome to bring your family & friends to stay at my home!!!!
This is the Holy Land for all the major religions & I'm an excellent
FREE tour guide to ALL of the Holy Land's scenic, historical,
biblical, etc. sites, of which we have endless numbers!!!!
All you & your group (family & friends) would need is
plane fare.....accomodations & tours are on me!!!!
I never tire of thinking about & talking about elephants.....
hoping to hear from you again, especially with personal notes
& photos.....as soon & as often as possible!!!!
Keep up the good work.....
Sandy in Israel
P.S.....
Here are some things about me and my Elephant
Collection, which I submitted to Guinness:
1) Statement describing me & my collection:
My name is Sandy Rosen-Hazen. I was born, Sandra Rosen, on
June 12, 1940 in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A. My lifelong
elephant collection was "born" on that same day, when my first
baby gift was presented to my mother (by my father) for me - it was
a baby rattle/teething ring, with a sterling silver elephant and
bells on top and a mother-of-pearl teething handle on the bottom.
The
next gift was from my Aunt who gave my mother a set of cork
bottom, ceramic, baby-bottle coasters in pastel colors with
elephants in the middle of each.
Other elephant item gifts soon followed, including my baby high-
chair, from my grandmother, with elephants on the back of the vinyl
chair seat. My family's propensity toward elephants may well have
been because we've all always been Republicans.
One of my greatest inspirations was a dear friend of my father, who
was our family doctor. He had approximately 2,000 elephants in his
incredible collection. Since I loved visiting his elephants, as a
child, I never minded having to see the doctor and really loved the
elephant gifts he'd give me. Over the course of 64 years, the
elephant gifts never did stop coming - just about everyone who
has ever known me has brought me atleast one elephant from
any/everywhere that he/she has travelled.
In 1979, I left the U.S.A., with my children, to come and live in
Israel. My eclectic elephant collection had consisted of
approximately 1,000 elephants by the time I moved, however, I only
brought about half of them to Israel with me. The other half I gave
away as gifts to many
of the friends I was leaving behind in "the Old Country", for
rememberances of me.
I'm a retired English teacher, a profession I returned to after
arriving in Israel, due to the language problems, although I had most
recently been a Hospital Administrator when I lived in the U.S.A.
Retirement came very early for me, due to extensive ill health, so my
elephants are a great comfort to me in all the endless hours that I
now have to be stuck inside the house.
In addition to the joy I derive from my beloved elephants, my other
great pleasure comes from being a grandmother of twenty-five (sixeen
in Israel) and great-grandmother of three (one in Israel).
I'm a "liberated feminist" whose favorite saying is: "'Balls,' said
the Queen, 'If I had two, I'd be King!'" I'm also a true Zionist and
lover
of Israel - thus, I often say: "I'd rather be dead in Israel than
alive
in any other country."
Collecting elephants has always been my favorite hobby, although I
have been just as compulsive and obsessive in my collecting other
things, like photographs - I admit that the elephants have taken over
the house, but I've still managed room for the thousands of photos
which I've taken over the years, as well - many of which I have
posted on my personal Web Site:
http://groups.msn.com/SandysPhotosChildrenElephants
I'm definitely not alone in my obsessive/compulsive collecting-whim.
I've known Israelis who collect giraffes, zebras, and even pigs.
I've also met four other elephant collectors here in Israel and
several in other countries, but none quite like me.
The elephantine infatuation goes as far back as I can remember.
Ever since I was a child, my parents would bring me elephant presents
and take me to see elephants. One of the most traumatic times in my
childhood happened when we discovered that the Roger Williams Park
Zoo in Providence, RI was looking for a human family
to temporarily "adopt" a new baby elephant whose mother wasn't either
willing of able to take care of it.
They required a family with a large, enclosed yard and a great love
of elephants - we fit the bill - BUT, my parents insisted that we
refuse the offer, because they knew how attached I would get to the
baby and were fearful that I'd be unable to part with it after nearly
a year living with us. Naturally, I tried to convince them that I'd
be o.k. with it's return to the zoo, since I knew I could go there
everyday after school to visit. Unfortunately, parents do most often
know best,
and they won the argument, so, no live elephant was destined to
be part of my family (during this lifetime atleast).
It was while on my first trip to South Africa when I realized that
I must have been part of an elephant family myself, in a past life.
Surprisingly, I've never actually ridden an elephant, probably
because I feel an affinity towards African elephants and not
towards (the more usually ridden) Indian elephants.
But, I have been close to them.
Sometimes, I see an elephant and immediately connect with him
or her. During my 1991 visit to the Addo Elephant Park near Port
Elizabeth, South Africa, I amazed gamekeepers by attracting all 85
members of the normally shy Addo herds to come forward. and even
nuzzle up, to my jeep. This was something they had never seen happen
before (nor since, according to my Safari guide, with
whom I've stayed in touch).
By telepathy, I communicated with them. I was calling them with my
mind. I'd see one, through binoculars, far off on the horizon and
mentally communicate to it that I wanted it to come over to me -
and every one that I "called" did come straight to me.
I don't have that telepathy with Indian elephants - only African ones
(and with some people). Uri Geller once told me that it's a shame
I don't use my ESP powers more, especially where my past lives
are concerned. In addition to feeling sure that I was once an
African elephant, I'm equally sure that I was a Native American
(Indian) in one of my past lives.
I brought about 400 elephant pieces back from my first trip to South
Africa and another 300 from my second trip there, nine years later.
Now my grandchildren are returning from their post-army trips abroad
with more elephant pieces for my collection & friends from
all over the world continue to send me wonderful elephant gifts.
From August 29, 2003 through September 4, 2003, when counting
the elephant items in my house and discovering that there were 4,233
of them, it seemed there was really no room for any more, but of
course, for "my little darlings" I always manage to find the room -
as I did for the 154 elephants added, as gifts for me, by friends and
family, since then, bringing the present total to 4,387.
[That was the count back in January, when I submitted this attempt,
by March there were 4,510.....and now there are over 4,600!!!!]
When interviewed by reporters from the newspapers who featured me and
my elephant collection, the "big question" was: "Do you have any
favorites among your elephants?" My reply was that I love them all,
just as I love each and every one of my grandchildren - equally. To
their other favorite question: "Why are you still bothering to find
room for more?" Again, my reply:
"Quite simply, because I love them so much."
My personal relationship with each artifact generally amazes people
who see my huge collection. When I tell them that, "Every piece has
its own special story and is unique in my collection", they
invariably point to one elephant or another and ask me all about it's
history. There is never a time that I need to hesitate - I can
ALWAYS tell immediately where it came from & of what material it was
made,
as well as when, and by whom, it was given to me.
Generally, I have a few doubles of small elephants stashed away that
I sometimes give to guests, especially to young children who come to
see my elephants and say they want to start their own collections.
These, of course, are not counted in the number of elephants in my
collection. Naturally, I've also given away many elephants, like all
of the stuffed animal ones, to my darling grandchildren - some of
whom seem to love elephants almost as much as I do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2) Details of the items in the collection:
I, Sandy Rosen-Hazen, have in my Safed home 4,387 elephants
made of many different materials. Whole "herds", sized from
the largest to the smallest ones (representing to me,
complete "families") completely fill the many shelves in every room.
Also
filled to capacity are all the spaces on the tables, counters and
walls in every part of the house.
There are elephants made of bone, beautifully hand-carved wood
(mahogany, ebony, teak, redwood, pine, etc.), intricately hand-woven
and hand-beaded fabrics, including a variety of types of cloth (silk,
raw cotton, brocade, batik, etc.).
Among the metal elephants, there are pewter, sterling silver,
bronze, copper, cast iron, etc.. Also, many elephants are made
of leather, hand-blown glass, straw, bamboo, plastics, porcelain
and china, as well as atleast a dozen different types of stone
from all over the world.
Naturally, I do even have some ivory elephants, albeit most of them
are extremely old (in fact, certified antique), because I do not buy
any new ivory, unless it's legally certified as to having been taken
from legally culled or naturally deceased elephants and not (G-d
forbid) having been from any poached elephants. Glazed, painted,
polished, jeweled, tinted, buffed as well as raw material elephants
are in the collection, with ginger, turquoise, mauve, scarlet, and
multi-colored elephants among them.
There are papier mache elephants from the Philippines, carved
sea-shell elephants from Japan, glass elephant statuettes from
Namibia, glazed and bejeweled coral, jade and assorted other
stone elephants from China, as well as crystal elephants from Italy.
Bookends, many elephant clocks, elephant decorated plates and photo
frames are also on the shelves with them.
In addition to all the elephants that are displayed on shelves, there
are paintings, murals, wall hangings, cushions, flower vases and
planters, all depicting elephants around the rooms. Wind chimes and
mobiles are hanging from the ceilings, while elephant floor mats and
a large rug are on the floors.
The collection also contains new and old gold (as well as very old
ivory) jewelry, a plastic shower curtain full of frollicking pink
elephants in the ocean, wall-hanging elephant decorated plates
& a hand-made round Chinese-checker board (all the pieces on
the round, elephant decorated, stone board, are small, individual,
hand-carved, pegged stone elephants).
Although I much prefer African elephants to those from India and
China, the collection does include ones from each area, with such
items as hand-painted Rhajasthani bedspreads depicting the Indian
elephant-god Ganesh. Hanging antique oil-burning lamps & many
kitchen accessories make up more of the sub-collections within
the whole of this huge elephant menagerie.
For many years there was a sub-collection of stuffed animal
and other child-toy elephants, however, these can no longer
be counted, since they have been given to my grandchildren
and are therefore not in my house, or my total count, today.
Elephants bleating, weaning, fighting, playing, bathing, even
fornicating, are among the elephants' multitude of poses. As
a whole, the collection has an endless variety of elephants
for everyone's enjoyment - especially enjoyable for me.
Since I do not own, or have access to, a video camera, enclosed
in this package, of authenticating material, is a small collection of
117 photographs that I have taken over the years. These, in no
way, cover all of the elephants, however they do present an excellent
idea the collection. I've chosen these particular
photos to indicate to you of what the collection consists.
Hopefully, you will notice that several photos are of same areas
within the house showing first a few elephants, then more and finally
the many more that I now have in each place. This should,
I hope, give you some idea of how this collection has continued
growing throughout my lifetime. To see a more comprehensive
selection of photos, please visit my personal Web Site:
http//groups.msn.com/SandysPhotosChildrenElephants
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3) English translations from newpaper articles:
Here are English transcripts of the two latest items (to have been
published) about me. The first appeared in the Israeli newspaper
Yediot Ahronot on Sunday, August 17, 2003 (the writing was in
Hebrew). The second appeared earlier, in the English daily newspaper
The Jerusalem Post on Friday, August 1, 2003.
In English, the left-to-right translation....
(Hebrew, of course, being from right-to-left):
"Proud to Present" / Elad Brashgoren
Collection: Elephants
Collector: Sandy Rosen Hazen, 63, [Retired] Professor
of Technical English at Technion and University of Haifa, grandmother
to 15 grandchildren (one great-grandchild)
[in Israel], Tzfat
Items in Collection: 5,000
Amount of time Collecting: "From birth"
Specially loved items: "as with my children, I love them
all"
Something Extra: "My love for elephants [I think] is due to
my experience in a past life, as an elephant".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The elephant woman
By Daniel Ben-Tal - Aug. 1, 2003
Sandy Rosen-Hazen's Safed apartment is filled with at least 5,000
elephants. Herds spill over the shelves: papier mache elephants from
the Philippines, carved sea-shell elephants from Japan, glass and
crystal elephant statuettes from Namibia, glazed and bejeweled jade
elephants from China.
Elephants made of bone, wood, pewter, sterling silver, leather,
porcelain, cloth, glass and ivory ("I don't buy ivory unless it's
certified."). Beautiful hand-carved pieces from teak, mahogany, and
ebony. Glazed, painted, polished, and buffed elephants. Ginger,
turquoise, mauve, and scarlet elephants.
Paintings, murals, wall hangings, cushions, flower pots, wind chimes,
the floor mat, her jewelry, bookends, a Chinese checkers board,
Rhajasthani bedspreads depicting the Indian elephant-god Ganesh, an
antique oil-burning lamp, the kitchen clock. Elephants bleating,
weaning, fighting, and fornicating.
Why?
"Because I love them. One day I'll get around to counting them,"
she shrugs. "It's enough of a job just to dust them." (You can see
pictures of them at her web site:
http://groups.msn.com/SandysPhotosChildrenElephants.
"Collecting elephants has always been a hobby - but I admit that it's
taken over the house in time."
She says she has a personal relationship with each artifact.
"Every piece has its own special story." After all, they are all
unique in her collection.
"I have a few doubles stashed away that I sometimes give to guests."
Is she alone in her whim?
"I know Israelis who collect giraffes, zebras, and even pigs. I've
met four other elephant collectors in Israel - but none
like me!"
The eclectic collection numbered a trifling 500 pieces when Rosen-
Hazen made aliya to Safed with her four children from Rhode Island 24
years ago.
"I used to be a typical affluent Jewish American mother.
I was a hospital administrator with a 17-room house. We had
everything." She married a nice Jewish boy, had four children,
divorced, then adopted two more. Her first visit to the Holy Land
was with a 10-day ecumenical mission in 1977.
"I wasn't 'Jewish enough' to go on Hadassah tours or such,
but I fell in love with the country and walked away from a
$250,000 job. My whole life has been impulsive."
The elephantine infatuation goes as far back as she can remember.
"Ever since I was a child, my parents would bring me elephant
presents." She proudly shows me her first elephant - a mother of
pearl teething ring with a sterling silver handle shaped like an
elephant. "Even my baby bottle's coasters had elephant insignia."
Following her passion, she has traveled Africa extensively.
"I brought about 400 pieces back from my first trip. Now my
grandchildren are returning from their post-army trips abroad
with more pieces for my collection."
Surprisingly, she has never actually ridden an elephant.
"I feel an affinity towards them. Sometimes, I see an elephant and
immediately connect with him or her, telepathically."
During a 1991 visit to Addo elephant park near Port Elizabeth, South
Africa, she amazed gamekeepers by attracting all 28 members of a
normally shy herd to nuzzle up to her jeep.
"It's telepathy - I communicated with them. I was calling them.
I don't have that telepathy with Indian elephants - only African
ones," she notes. "Uri Geller once told me that it's a shame I don't
use my ESP powers more. I was an American Indian in one of my past
lives."
Throughout her life, Rosen-Hazen has maintained an
unconventional outlook. As a civil rights activist, she
marched through Alabama and Mississippi in the early '60s.
"I have always been passionately involved in fighting for equality.
Civil Rights back then, gay rights and religious equality here in
Israel. In the States, most of my friends were black - now most
of them are gay."
A retired English teacher (a profession she took up after arriving in
Israel), grandmother of 25 and great-grandmother of three, Rosen-
Hazen describes herself as a "liberated feminist" whose favorite
saying is: "'Balls,' said the Queen, 'If I had two, I'd be King!'"
She also calls herself a true Zionist and lover of Israel.
"I'd rather be dead in Israel than alive in any other country."
"I'm obsessive and compulsive," she concludes, as we sip coffee from
mugs shaped like... you-know-what.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now, IF, big IF, this were a "perfect world" the article
from The Jerusalem Post (August 1st, 2003) & the terrific
1/2 page photo from the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot
(Aug. 17, 2003) would have appeared somewhere TOGETHER!!!!
Unfortunately, of course, it is NOT a perfect world!!!!
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Sandy Rosen-Hazen P.O. Box 1123 Safed 13111 ISRAEL
Tel: 011-972-4-697-0162 Fax: 001-208-279-3422
http://groups.msn.com/SandysPhotosChildrenElephants
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VERY important - PLEASE tell everyone you know:
Buying Art from Israel NOW will help ALL of us!!!!
http://groups.msn.com/JudithGallery
http://groups.msn.com/VitosGallery/welcometovitosgallery.msnw
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