PROCLAIM LIBERTY THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND UNTO ALL THE INHABITANTS THEREOF
(Leviticus 25:10)
I found this website today that lists and links to various replicas of the Liberty Bell that can be found in the U.S. and around the world. There aren't as many as you might think. Two of them are in Israel. The one in Jerusalem is here, in Liberty Bell Park. Imagine that! Guess how many there are in Saudi Arabia? In Egypt? Libya? Jordan?
Today, the original Bell took a hike. Or, rather, a ride.
From yesterday's Philadelphia Daily News:
Liberty Bell on the move: Schedule of events
Moving the Liberty Bell is a carefully orchestrated, two-day affair that actually starts tonight. But the public celebration begins early tomorrow, when the bell will be pushed out of its old pavilion and begin a slow trek to its new home, less than 1,000 feet away.
Here are Thursday's highlights:
• 6:30 a.m.: Security gates open on 5th Street between Market and Chestnut streets.
• 7:04 a.m. to noon: The bell will be pushed by hand to its new home, accompanied by seven vignettes featuring a host of historic figures, from Thomas Jefferson to Susan B. Anthony to civil-rights marchers.
• Noon to 2 p.m.: As the bell is installed in its new building, there will be more special performances and reenactments - including a dialogue between Thomas Jefferson and Frederick Douglass.
• 1 p.m.: Activists devoted to remembering slaves who lived and worked on the Bell's new site will hold a protest at 6th and Market streets.
• 2 p.m.: The bell moves into its new pavilion and a dedication ceremony begins. Among the musical celebrations: America the Beautiful, performed on (of course) bells.
• 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.: The public finally gets the chance to see the bell inside its new home, the Liberty Bell Center.
The schedule speaks volumes about the racial issues that continue to surround many historical commemorations in this "City of Brotherly Love."
There's more on the procession and the procedure for the move here and here.
