#jewish art
A few of the illustrations I made for the HIAS Haggadah. This Haggadah provides stories and prompts to help us connect to the contemporary refugee experience on the night where we remember our own journey from suffering to freedom. You can download it at hias.org/passover or buy a paperback copy at amazon.com/dp/1091939942.
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Mail’s here! The latest entry in my annual tradition of Purim package design once again involves creating elaborate boxes to fulfill the ritual of mishloach manot, giving gifts of food to friends. (Find the last few years’ here,here,here,here,here, and here.) This year involves literally sending food in envelope-boxes. The Happy Purim message and stamp are cut out of the paper and backed with Fruit by the Foot — the best tasting stamp you’ll ever lick. The cancellation is marked 14 Adar (today’s Hebrew date) and ringed with the words describing this tradition from the Megillah: מִשְׁלֹחַ מָנוֹת, אִישׁ לְרֵעֵהוּ (“sending items to their fellows,” Esther 9:19). It’s marked in the corner “Peace + Truth” from me, echoing the letters of peace and truth Mordechai wrote to Jews across the kingdom (Esther 9:30). And who couldn’t use a little peace and truth these days? Enjoy, and Happy Purim!
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Anshe Kenesseth Israel, 1913-2012
3411 W. Douglas Blvd, North Lawndale, Chicago
New project alert! I’m fascinated by monumental architecture, asserting identity through design, adaptive reuse, and history as told through material culture. All of that comes together in the exploration of former Jewish spaces. To that end, I started a new site highlighting former synagogues from around the US. Who built them? What happened to their communities? What did they leave behind? Come discover with me. Check out jewishtraces.tumblr.com.
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I made a haggadah! I had the privilege of working with author Shawn Becker to make his Passover haggadah a reality. He wanted a haggadah that was bright, engaging, thought-provoking, and accessible to all, regardless of Jewish knowledge or previous seder experience. It’s non-traditional in many ways but remains rooted in the historic structure and rituals of the night. He provided the text and inspiration and I designed and illustrated the book in a style that was a bit of a departure for me. Pick up your own copy at sharingtheseder.com.
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Happy Purim! What would you do if you had the opportunity to address the king? It’s become a tradition of mine to celebrate Purim with package design, creating elaborate boxes to fulfill the ritual of mishloach manot, giving gifts of food to friends. (Find the last few years’ here,here, here,here, and here.) This year, the boxes depict King Achashverosh’s palace, the architecture inspired by Taq Kasra, an ancient Persian palace near modern Baghdad. (Yes, it’s a little anachronistic, but it’s an incredible building.) Open the doors and find yourself face to face with the king on his throne. Imagine yourself in Esther’s shoes, petitioning for the safety of her people. Tucked behind a false wall is a hidden treasure of chocolate bars and pistachios. The back has a Purim message from me. Enjoy!
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Wishing everyone a shana tova and g’mar chatima tova this Yom Kippur. May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life.
The painting is called “Kol Shofar” and is spray paint on birch board.
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For Yom HaShoah: Deportation by David Dzienciarski (1912-1980), oil on canvas, Israel, ca. 1970s. Collection of Yeshiva University Museum. Gift of the artist’s Estate. This is one of a series of paintings by Dzienciarski, a self-taught artist, depicting his hometown, Lodz.
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Happy Passover! In the spirit of the holiday, I’d like to share with you a wonderful feature, “Out of the Box: Four Unique Passover Items,” produced in partnership with the Center for Jewish History.
Housed at the Center are tens of thousands of boxes in Yeshiva University Museum’s and our partners’ archival and collections. The Out of the Box series showcases some of the remarkable treasures and stories tucked away inside these boxes. In March, we had intended to highlight – firsthand and in person – some of the over 230 Passover items, spanning over 200 years, that are conserved in YUM’s collections. Due to our temporary closure because of the coronavirus, we brought, with the Center’s help, this conversation into the digital world.
Bonni-Dara Michaels, YUM’s Collections Curator, discusses a few of her favorite Passover items from the collections. Check out the video through the link below, and then read the short interview with Bonni-Dara about what it’s like working with these unique artifacts.
Thank you, Bonni-Dara for sharing your insights on these works with us; to the Center for producing this feature; and to Michael Bettencourt for posting it on YU News here (or you copy and paste the following link: https://blogs.yu.edu/news/out-of-the-box-four-unique-passover-items/). Enjoy!
Moadim l’simcha!
Jacob Wisse, PhD
Director, Yeshiva University Museum
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Collection item of the week: Zvi Raphaely’s Purim, oil on canvas, 1979, currently on view in From A(gam) to Z(aritsky): Highlights of Israeli Art from YU Museum’s Collection. Happy Purim!
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Collection item of the week: Adam and Eve by Moshe Tamir, oil on canvas, The Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Collection of Yeshiva University Museum.
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Collection item of the week: Jerusalem, embroidery by Shulamith Wittenberg Miller (1907-1995)
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