For the addition, the group summoned the mural’s original artist, Eliseo Silva. A non-Jewish, Filipino muralist and Los Angeles resident, Silva worked all weekend long on the mural, painting the new words onto three leaves. He also painted an olive tree.
It also represents a reunion between Silva and Gordon, who conceived of the mural when he took over the organization in 1995.“It doesn’t seem like a long time ago,” Silva said of when Gordon first commissioned him to work on the mural 16 years ago.
On March 15, wearing an apron and gesturing with fingertips covered in paint, Silva said he’s changed more than the mural.“I think I’ve probably gained 70 pounds,” he said. “Eric looks the same. He hasn’t changed.”
