Sukkot Mark Podwal (b. 1945) Digitial archival pigment print on paper 7 7/16 x 7 9/16" USA, 2020 © Mark Podwal The Torah commands no less than three times to rejoice and be happy on Sukkot, the celebration of the fall harvest (Leviticus 23:39-40; Deuteronomy 16:14-16). Symbols of the harvest, the lulav (palm branch, myrtle, [...]
Ushpizin Mark Podwal (b. 1945) Digitial archival pigment print on paper 7 7/16 x 7 9/16" USA, 2020 © Mark Podwal According to rabbinic tradition, Jews build a sukkah (booth) on the festival of Sukkot to recall the Israelites’ fragile dwellings during their forty years of wandering after the Exodus from Egypt (Leviticus 23:33-43). Tents [...]
Shabbat Shuvah Mark Podwal (b. 1945) Digitial archival pigment print on paper 7 7/16 x 7 9/16" USA, 2020 © Mark Podwal Shabbat Shuvah (The Sabbath of Return) occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur during the Ten Days of Repentance. These ten days are regarded as one’s last chance, through one’s actions, to be [...]
Rosh Hashanah Mark Podwal (b. 1945) Digitial archival pigment print on paper 7 7/16 x 7 9/16" USA, 2020 © Mark Podwal The shofar (ram’s horn) is blown on Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) to fulfill the Torah’s commandment, “On the first day of the seventh month, you shall observe complete rest, a sacred occasion [...]
Hanukkiyah (Hanukkah Menorah) David Palombo (Turkey 1920-1966 Jerusalem) Israel, ca. 1963 Rock and iron Cincinnati Skirball Museum, x.2021.1 Hanukkah, a joyous winter holiday, commemorates the military victory in 165 BCE of a small number of Jews, led by Judah Maccabee, over the ruling Syrian-Greek government. The Jews had been commanded to worship only Greek idols under penalty [...]
Sabbath Candlesticks Danzig or Lemberg, Poland, ca. 1670-1700 Cast, repousée, engraved parcel-gilt silver, h. 11 11/16 x w. 7 ½ in. Marks: Polish and Austrian. Czihak5; indistinct maker’s mark; r7989 (restamping of Lemberg [Lvov] 1806-7 and 7884 (a Rosenberg mark); restamping 1809-10 Cincinnati Skirball Museum, B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Collection, gift of Joseph [...]
Megillah in Empty Wine Bottle Mark Podwal (b. Brooklyn, NY 1945) USA, 2017 Colored pencil on paper, h. 16 x w. 20 in, Cincinnati Skirball Museum, gift of the artist, ©Mark Podwal, 2018.5.15 Inspired by this miniature Scroll of Esther in the Skirball collections, the artist has made a playful reference to the Purim [...]
Gragger (Noisemaker) Peter Ehrenthal (1920-2022) USA, 1960 Silver B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Collection, gift of Joseph B. and Olyn Horwitz, 1980, TAP 0072 The Jewish festival of Purim celebrates the continued resilience of the Jewish people. The Purim story is related in the Book of Esther, a melodramatic tale of court intrigue in [...]
Simchat Torah Flag with Torah Shield Design Mark Podwal (b. Brooklyn, NY 1945) USA, 2017 Acrylic and colored pencil on paper, h. 16 x w. 20 in. Cincinnati Skirball Museum, gift of the artist, ©Mark Podwal, 2018.5.12 Inspired by this Torah breastplate or shield in the Skirball collection, the artist has incorporated it as [...]
Light Bulb with Bloch Hanukkah Menorah Mark Podwal (b. Brooklyn, NY 1945) USA, 2017 Acrylic and colored pencil on paper, h. 16 x w. 20 in. Cincinnati Skirball Museum, gift of the artist, ©Mark Podwal, 2018.5.3 Inspired by this Hanukkah menorah in the Skirball collection, the artist has inserted Babette Bloch’s modern Hanukkah lamp [...]
