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Contemporary Book Art and Hebrew Texts The “book” is a mighty big place these days and the current exhibition at MOBIA, As Subject and Object: Contemporary Book Artists Explore Sacred Hebrew Texts is no exception.  Highly mobile eBooks compete with online publications and traditionally bound…
Podwal’s Books Mark Podwal is a busy, busy man.  He has spent the last 38 years making every conceivable kind of art: innumerable paintings, 28 illustrated books written by him and the likes of Elie Wiesel, Harold Bloom and Francine Prose, children’s books, Haggadot, ceramics…
Lilith by Siona Benjamin Siona Benjamin’s exhibition Finding Home: The Art of Siona Benjamin is simply beautiful.  Set in the spacious lobby gallery of the JCC Manhattan, it allows for a peaceful (when the kids, nannies and crowds subside) contemplation of this complex artist’s meditations on…
Siona Benjamin’s Megillas Esther There is nothing funny about Siona Benjamin’s Megillas Esther (2010).  Unlike some contemporary illuminated megillas that emphasize the absurd and outlandish nature of the corrupt Persian court and the buffoonish character of the king, Benjamin takes the Book of Esther quite…
Learning to Count: Omer Counter by Judith Margolis I am still counting. But when you, dear reader, see this, you will have finished, having safely arrived at Matan Torah.  Nonetheless, even if you meditated deeply each and every day, the fact is that we still…
Harry McCormick’s Paintings: A Unique Jewish Genre At the Chassidic Art Institute one artist, Harry McCormick, has rather amazingly fathomed the authentic heartbeat of the individual Jewish life.  This exhibition, running until July 25, shows a mere 16 paintings, but within the major works he…
Fine Judaica Auction Judaica Auctions and the exhibition that precede them at Kestenbaum & Company are always a cornucopia of aesthetic delights.  The sheer variety and overall quality of the ceremonial objects and works of art make the exhibition and catalogue a museum-like experience. The…
Paintings by Leah Raab and Shany Saar, NY Studio School, MFA Thesis Exhibition Whether it is the disastrous report of the 12 spies or the furious condemnation that doomed an entire generation to die in the wilderness, the Torah narrative in Bamidbar turns terribly grim…
The Abstract Omer paintings of Yitzhok Moully I have always had a problem with the Omer.  Doing the mitzvah of counting the omer was of course pretty easy.  Remembering to start the second evening of Passover and remembering to stop the day before Shavous took…
Arthur Szyk (1947) Jacob Steinhardt (1957) David Wander (2011) The megillahs beg to be illustrated.  Each is associated with a notable holiday and each presents an idiosyncratic view of Jewish history and experience.  Those that are not overtly narrative cry out to be narrated while…
Steinhardt's Legacy Michael and Judy Steinhardt are putting up their magnificent Judaica collection for sale at Sotheby’s in New York on April 29th. The results of 44 years of diverse collecting will be on view from Wednesday April 24 and simply must be seen by…

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