#orthodox jewish artists

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

He Bore the Sins of Many

He was numbered with the transgressors; and he nasah (carried) (like the Yom Kippur scapegoat) the sin of many, and made intercession [did the work of a mafgi'a, intercessor] for the transgressors. — Isaiah 53:12b | Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) Orthodox Jewish Bible Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. Cross References: Matthew 26:38; Matthew 26:39; Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:9; Hebrews 9:28

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Compare Translations for Isaiah 53:12

[capt-sievert]

Merry Christmas!!!

(in order from left to right;)

Isaiah Xu-dai [he/him]

Darien Evans [she/her]

Emily (Millie) Williams [she/her]

Alexei (Pripyat) Kazakov [he/him]

Nikolai Kazakov [he/she]

Remember when I said to "remind me to never draw so many people at once"? Nobody did so here we are again lol

This took an unbearable amount of time. I mean, my art takes pretty long to make regardless but this exceeded the average, 28 hours is too much even for me, but at least I'm pretty happy with it :3

This year has been... Tumultuous, to say the least. I've gone through some stuff, skipped through many different fandoms, and made some friends both online and offline. Nonetheless, I could never be more grateful to you guys than I already am.

To many more years like this. Happy holidays, everyone 🫶

[abwwia]

Bella Brzel | בלה בריזל

Bella Brizel בלה בריזל was Israeli painter, born in 1929 in Jerusalem to an ultra-Orthodox family from the old Yishuv. She died on Nov 1, 1982 (aged about 53) via W #PalianShow

Bella Brizel was born in 1929 in Jerusalem to an ultra-Orthodox family from the old Yishuv. She studied painting at the Studia with Aharon Avni. x She married the painter Sioma Baram, whom she met at Studia. In the 1950s, the two stayed in Paris and she studied at the city’s Academy of Fine Arts. In 1955 she won the “Israeli Painters Prize in Paris”. They then emigrated to the Spanish island of…

[ivanaskye]

afaict the only christians with theological content remotely interesting enough to chew on are 1. tolkien 2. dostoyevsky 3. some random black metal guys????

[nesyanast]

The Edinburgh Hebrew Congregation Orthodox Synagogue houses six stained windows by the distinguished Scottish stained glass artist William Wilson, RSA. These richly coloured works combine Jewish religious symbols with abstract and floral motifs with one depicting the act of Creation.

Photos by me

[jewishicequeen]

Hi. Can you share a cool fact about Israel? How's the fan culture over there? You guys got conventions? 👀

BOY DO WE

There are 4 big conventions in Israel, run by two organisations- the Israeli Society For Science Fiction and Fantasy(known shortly as "Ha'Aguda), and AMAI, the Israeli Manga and Anime Organization.

The Aguda's conventions are the biggest and most well-known. There's Icon during Sukkot and Olamot("worlds") during Passover, and both are always in Tel Aviv. Those are the comic-con of Israel- they have everything geeky and fanish, from every type of media. They last 2-3 days, and are free to enter but you have to pay to go into specific events. Those are my favorites!

AMAI's conventions are centered around Japanese media and culture. There are also two- Harucon at Purim(the closest con), and Animatsuri at the summer. Those cons costs money to enter, but once you're inside you can go anywhere as long as there are free seats. Those cons are in Jerusalem, and are very big. They also sometimes include a run of an Animusical(anime-inspired original musical production done by members of the community)

Other then those 4, we have lots of smaller cons done by different organizations and for different specific topics- there's Meorot which is a Harry Potter and LOTR con set during Hannukah, the Aguda also has Mitopia in the summer, that's centered specifically around books, and there's Draconicon for DND and RPG players! And a lot more! Last year I also had the chance to go to the first Sha'atnez, a con surrounding specifically Jewish Fantasy and Fantastic Judaism. It was fantastic and I REALLY hope it'll be an annual thing.

Interesting thing about fan culture here- the main two groups involved in it are queers, and religious orthodox jews. Both are in the fannish scene in much larger percantages then they make of the general population! I suspect the religious thing is because Shabbat-keepers have a lot of time when all they can do is read, and queers are already very dominant in such communities, but it's still very cool I think:)

Anyway fun fact, I've been in the artist alley for... 6-7 cons up untill now? My favorite to sell in was Noar Kore which sadly does not exist anymore but I REALLY like doing those booths.

[piratecaptainscaptainpirates]

So you want to write about a Jewish Ed Teach - a quick guide to writing a Jewish man of color, by a Jewish moc

Given Taika Waititi is Jewish, I am always so happy when I see fanfic authors writing about Ed being Jewish! We need more Jewish poc rep and I'm always happy to see it. That being said, I've also seen a lot of misunderstandings, so I wanted to to write up a few quick guidelines.

Disclaimer: I'm just one Jew with an opinion, and this is based on my own experiences! I'd love if other Jews, especially other Jews of color, in the fandom would like to chime in with their thoughts as well!

It is possible to be a Jewish athiest! Judaism is membership in a people, and belief in g-d is not required (and, in my community, it's even considered a very personal question!). Some of the most observant Jews I know are athiests; belief in g-d and level of Jewish observance are not directly correlated. Cannot overstate how common it is for Jews to not believe in g-d or go back and forth on the question.

On that note, there are different levels of Jewish observance. Every individual is different, but in general there's Orthodox (very strict), and then, way on the other side, there's Reform and Conservative (Conservative does not equal politically Conservative). Conservative and Reform are very similar, except the Conservative movement tends to be more observant of traditional Jewish law and uses a lot more Hebrew. If you live in an area without a lot of Jews (like where I live!), it's very common for Reform and Conservative movements to have a lot of overlap and collaborate on a lot of stuff together.

Not every Jew keeps Kosher, or keeps Kosher to the same level of strictness.

Synagogue services are not like Christian services, especially outside of holiday services. Ordinary Saturday morning services are often more like a group conversation as we try to work new meaning out of the Torah. The B'Nei Mitzvah, the big ceremony that marks a kid being old enough to participate fully in Jewish life, is more like "baby's first thesis defense" than anything else! There have literally been pauses in services I've attended before as someone ran to the temple library to check their sources.

Not all Jews speak Hebrew. Some Jews might not know any, some might be able to stumble through the more important prayers, some might be able to sight-read okay, some might only know religious words but not modern words, some might be fluent! Just about any level of proficiency is believable.

Ed's got a lot of tattoos! Tattoos are a big traditional Jewish no-no, but (again!) different movements and different Jews have their own opinions. I know a Conservative tattoo artist! It's not something that other Jews would comment on (unless they're just assholes) and it wouldn't make anyone kick him out of synagogue services (no joke, I read that in a fic once).

Hannukah is not the only (or even the most important) Jewish holiday; it's just the one most non-Jews know about. The two biggest holidays are Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. I think Ed's favorite holidays would be Purim (you get to wear costumes and put on plays!) and Passover (retelling of a story along with a big meal!).

Depending on the area and the Jewish demographic, Jews of color can sometimes feel uncomfortable in our own community, especially when other Jews automatically assume we must be converts. While this is a real issue, it is not something I want to read authors who aren't themselves Jews of color write about because it is a deeply inter-Jewish issue.

Depending on the community you grow up in, religious trauma isn't as common with queer Jews as it is with queer Christians. The Reform movement has been advocating for queer Jews since the 1960s (you read that right, yes). I'm not saying there are no queer Jews who have religious trauma, I'm just saing it's a lot less common, and I have always felt immediately accepted as queer in Jewish spaces.

The inverse is not true. Queer spaces are not always accepting of Jews (or of people of color, a double whammy!).

A few stereotypes to avoid: Jews are often stereotyped as being greedy and corrupt. Jewish kids are bullied by Christian kids because "we killed Jesus," when I was ten I had another kid ask to "see my horns." Always avoid comparing Ed directly to animals, especially rodents.

If you're a non-Jew looking to write about a Jewish Ed, I recommend doing some research. MyJewishLearning is a great website that's very accessible.

Every Jew interacts with our Judaism differently, so if you're writing a Jewish Ed, please take a moment to think about what it means for him! Membership in a community? Calming traditions that remind him of home, family, and community? A point of pride - we're a resilient lot! Even just a note in his background that he's not as connected to as he might like to be?

[mariacallous]

A theatrical production based on the memoir of an ex-Hasidic transgender rabbi and activist, set to premiere in New York early next year, is scrambling to find a new home after its landlord rejected the script last week.

The landlord? The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

The production has become a casualty of a dispute between the East Village’s Connelly Theater, which had long staged provocative works, and the archdiocese, which owns the venue. The archdiocese has recently placed the theater under increased scrutiny, exercising a clause that gives it approval of plays shown at its property. The Catholic school that serves as the go-between between the church and the theater said it is “suspending all operations of its theater,” The New York Times reported.

Abby Stein, author of the 2019 memoir “Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman,” was alerted last Wednesday that the adaptation of her book would no longer be permitted at the Connelly Theater.

“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Stein said in an interview. “I’m not going to come up and pretend, ‘Oh my God, the Catholic Church doesn’t like trans people, I’m shocked.’ I wouldn’t say that. I think we all know that. It’s just extremely frustrating that even in a place like New York, it’s still something you need to think about.”

She added, “It feels like we’re taking one step forward, two steps back. This shouldn’t be something we’re still worried about.”

Josh Luxenberg, the Off Broadway theater’s general manager for the past 10 years, resigned last Friday, telling The New York Times that he was reluctant to serve as a “censor rather than an advocate of artistic freedom.” The theater was built in the 1860s, according to its “About Us” page, which still lists Luxenburg as general manager and calls itself “a home for adventurous independent theater productions.” Its main stage theater seats 200.

The Archdiocese of New York did not respond to a request for comment. Its director of communications told the Times that the decision reflected longstanding norms about its oversight of content shared in its buildings. The archdiocese has previously required public schools renting space it owns to hold sex education instruction off-campus.

“It is the standard practice of the archdiocese that nothing should take place on church-owned property that is contrary to the teaching of the church,” Joseph Zwilling told the newspaper. “That applies as well to plays, television shows or movies being shot, music videos being recorded, or other performances.”

“Becoming Eve” tells the story of Stein’s journey as a rabbi and heir to a prominent Hasidic dynasty who left her insular community in 2012 and publicly came out as transgender in 2015. The book became a bestseller, and she became an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for Hasidic Jews who leave their communities. Stein is currently a part-time rabbi at the independent congregation Kolot Chayeinu in Brooklyn as well as an activist on causes including opposing Israel’s war in Gaza.

“I did not expect myself to be at the crosshairs of the Archdiocese of New York,” Stein said.

As an adaptation of Stein’s memoir, the play “centers on a conversation between Abby, her devout father and a young liberal rabbi, as they reckon with questions of gender and faith,” according to Playbill.

“Becoming Eve” is one of at least three shows booted out of the Connelly Theater by the Archdiocese. SheNYC, a summer theater festival for plays by female, nonbinary and transgender artists, said in a statement that it has also been told by the Archdiocese that it cannot use the theater next summer.

“It’s a total shock that somehow, strict conservative ideals are dictating what can happen in a NYC theater,” SheNYC posted on Instagram. “We’re heartbroken by this loss. And we’re not going to lie – this puts us in a tough spot for our 2025 season, which is also our 10-year anniversary.”

The comedy show “Jack Tucker: Comedy Standup Hour,” a solo show by comedian Zach Zucker, who is Jewish, featuring his alter-ego Jack Tucker, was in the works to transfer to the Connelly Theater in early September for a limited run following a successful turn at the SoHo Playhouse. But the archdiocese rejected the show days before it was set to begin. Zucker had to relocate and postpone the show.

In an Instagram post announcing the new dates and location, Zucker said of the Ccurch, “Why’d they do this? We’ll never know. But what I do know is that God will never stop me.”

“Becoming Eve” is written by Em Weinstein, produced by Dayna Bloom and Brian Lee, and directed by Tyne Rafaeli. It will be in previews in March and is set to premiere in April of 2025.

New York Theatre Workshop, which is producing the play, is in the process of finding an alternate venue.

“We remain fiercely committed to presenting Emil Weinstein’s compelling and singular play, Becoming Eve, in our season,” New York Theatre Workshop said in a statement. “We are profoundly disappointed by the Archdiocese’s decision and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to produce this powerful story. We are in talks with a new venue and look forward to sharing the details very soon. We are proud to produce this compelling story and to champion its artists and ethos.”

[void-imp-archived]

bold the facts, part 2

aleksey's turn! again, this reflects him at the beginning of my story.

jab's part, jeremy's part

[ PERSONAL]

$ Financial: wealthy / moderate / poor / in poverty

✚ Medical: fit / moderate / sickly / disabled / disadvantaged / non applicable

✪ Class or Caste: upper / middle / working / unsure / other

✔ Education: qualified / unqualified / studying / other (he finished high school, not sure where that puts him)

✖ Criminal Record: yes, for major crimes / yes, for minor crimes / no / has committed crimes, but not caught yet / yes, but charges were dismissed

[ FAMILY ]

◒ Children: had a child or children / has no children / wants children

◑ Relationship with Family: close with sibling(s) / not close with sibling(s) / has no siblings / sibling(s) is deceased

◔ Affiliation: orphaned / adopted (by uncle) / disowned / raised by birth parent / not applicable

[ TRAITS + TENDENCIES]

♦ extroverted / introverted / in between

♦ disorganized / organized / in between

♦ close minded / open-minded / in between

♦ calm / anxious / in between

♦ disagreeable / agreeable / in between

♦ cautious / reckless / in between

♦ patient / impatient / in between

♦ outspoken / reserved / in between

♦ leader / follower / in between

♦ empathetic / vicious bastard / in between

♦ optimistic / pessimistic / in between

♦ traditional / modern / in between

♦ hard-working / lazy / in between

♦ cultured / uncultured / in between / unknown

♦ loyal / disloyal / unknown

♦ faithful / unfaithful / unknown

[ BELIEFS]

★ Faith: monotheist / polytheist / atheist (secular jewish) / agnostic / spiritual

☆ Belief in Ghosts or Spirits: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✮ Belief in an Afterlife: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✯ Belief in Reincarnation: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

❃ Belief in Aliens: yes / no / don’t know / don’t care

✧ Religious: orthodox / liberal / in between / not religious

❀ Philosophical: yes / no

[ SEXUALITY & ROMANTIC INCLINATION ]

❤ Sexuality: heterosexual / homosexual / bisexual / asexual / pansexual

❥ Sex: sex repulsed / sex neutral / sex favorable / naive and clueless

♥ Romance: romance repulsed / romance neutral / romance favorable / naive and clueless / romance suspicious

❣ Sexually: adventurous / experienced / naive / inexperienced / curious

⚧ Potential Sexual Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

⚧ Potential Romantic Partners: male / female / agender / other / none / all

[ ABILITIES ]

☠ Combat Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

≡ Literacy Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✍ Artistic Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

✂ Technical Skills: excellent / good / moderate / poor / none

[ HABITS ]

☕ Drinking Alcohol: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / alcoholic

☁ Smoking: tried it / trying to quit / quit / never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / chain-smoker

✿ Recreational Drugs: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / addict

✌ Medicinal Drugs: never / no longer needs medication / some medication needed / frequently / to excess

☻ Unhealthy Food: never / special occasions / sometimes / frequently / binge eater

$ Splurge Spending: never / sometimes / frequently / shopaholic

♣ Gambling: never / rarely / sometimes / frequently / compulsive gambler

[digglefartchinberry]

Kyle Nikolai Broflovski

20 Year old man, 5"7. He/Him/His. Undernoticed Resinance Artist, and a Philosopher. He was inspired by both Van Gogh's art

(Aka my Kyle design lmao)

He's 18 years old and he's a duo with Stan! I made him A Russian Orthodox Jew who works as a janitor at a bar Stan's deceased father owned, and a lawyer!

I will do Stan next!

As you can see, I gave him ethnic features, paler skin, slightly darker and COILY HAIR!! :DD

He's Russian + Jewish in blood plus religion, + Irish

[weisswodka]

"Forbidden" Love 4.0 💌

It's not really forbidden because only HaShem has the right to juge us (it's a reference to another post I made) I drew this a while ago lol

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

O love HASHEM, all ye His Chasidim; for HASHEM preserveth the emunim (the faithful ones), but He pays back in full the oseh ga'avah (the one acting in pride, haughtily).

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord! — Psalm 31:24 | Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) and English Standard Version (ESV) Orthodox Jewish Bible Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International and The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Cross References: 1 Samuel 30:6; Psalm 27:14; 1 Corinthians 16:13

Read full chapter

What does Psalm 31:24 mean?

[my-jewish-life]

Since so many wanted me to post more of my Jewish Sims 4 family, let me introduce you to the Abrams family!^^

Here´s the twins Joseph and Zahavah, 11 years old. Zahavah is very excited as she´s preparing for her Bat Mitzvah. She´s very artistic and loves to draw and create things. Joseph loves playing outdoors and spends alot of time in their treehouse, he also has ADHD. Joseph and Zahavah always hang out together growing up, keeping up with them as toddler was a struggle for sure. Their favorite holiday is Purim!^^

Naomi, 18 years old, is in her last year of High School. She wants to study to become a vet, animals and nature has always been a big passion for her. She´s helped taking care of the pets at the local shelter even since she was a kid, last year she found a homeless cat and adopted it. When she´s not helping pets or studying she will sit in her room reading a book or playing guitar. Not too long ago she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder, and her parents and family have been a great support system for her during her ups and downs. Her favorite holiday is Rosh Hashanah and Purim.

The youngest member of the family, Taliah. This little bundle of joy is 3 years old. She loves playing with the family pets and hanging out with her siblings, amd dancing to music. She loves trying to help in the kitchen even if it often ends up in a mess everyone is still having fun. Miranda has teached all their children from a early age to help cook and clean, it´s a important skill after all. Right now Taliah really loves Purim and Hanukkah.

Miranda, 38, the mother of all the children. She´s a stay at home mom, she´s been a stay at home mom since their first child. When she isn´t cooking, cleaning or taking care of Taliah she loves to sit down with a good book or to work in her garden. She met Miriam during high school and fell in love with her right away. She was scared Miriam didn´t feel for her the same way, nor did she know how to tell her orthodox parents about being lesbian. But to her surprise, her parents took it very well. They had known it for a long time and had waited for Miranda to tell them herself when she was ready, and Miriam? She had a crush on Miriam as well but were too nervous to tell her too. Their wedding was lovely even though it took some time to find a rabbi for the wedding. She also has autism and her special interests are books and flowers and whenever she needs a break or feel overstimulated, Miriam is there to help her.

Miriam, 39. She works as a chef at one of the kosher restaurants in town, she´s mostly the one who cooks at home but both her and Miranda ejoys cooking. She has Seasonal Affective Disorder and got a service dog to help her, named Dodi. Dodi has helped her alot during her periods, she´s her little shadow and is always by her side. Miranda has helped her alot as well, knowing what to do and how to help. Miriam loves knitting clothes, something she learned from her bubbe, she holds those memories very close to her heart.

The family pets, the cat Zayit and Dodi.

[queerprayers]

since you mention having a rosary, is it common for lutherans or other branches of protestants to use them? i've always found them fascinating, but i grew up baptist and wasn't really around anyone who used or had them. what are your thoughts on people having them just because they find comfort in them?

Hi beloved, good question!

In my experience, they're not very common among Protestants, which seems to be because the rosary is so associated with veneration of Mary, which most Protestants are wary of (to say the least). The tradition is so associated with Catholicism that lots of Protestants don't even consider that it could be for them too.

I've had to create my own way of connecting with rosary practices, because the dominant Catholic tradition is often not relevant to me. I'm more comfortable incorporating Mary than most Lutherans, but I don't generally pray through any saints--it just has never been how I've prayed, and while I love saying prayers saints have written and learning about them, asking them to pray for me isn't really how I interpret "the communion of saints." For me, they're praying with me, and my petitions are to God, as Jesus taught. (I'm not dismissing or demonizing anyone's saint work! This is just personally my practice.)

The Hail Mary is such a gorgeous prayer, for instance, and most of it is straight from the gospel--and I definitely find it more valuable because it doesn't involve any personalization/specific petitions, just a general yearning for her to pray for us. I don't really experience her as listening to me, but as praying for all people with her Son, and my recognizing that connects me with her and all saints who have prayed through time.

Anyway, practices like this are really common and people find all different ways of connecting with them! Catholic rosaries, Orthodox prayer ropes, Muslim misbahahs, Jewish tzitzit--they all tap into a physical prayer practice, a tangible repetition/reminder of spirituality that I think is beautiful.

Holding something people regard as holy can be inherently comforting, however you connect with it! Just holding a rosary, wrapping it around my fingers, religious art I can put in my backpack--it's powerful. Hanging it up, carrying it with you--this is a tangible prayer practice as much as any repeated prayer sequence.

If you are interested in prayers to go with it, but don't connect with the Catholic tradition, there are all kinds of things you can do! You can look at the existing traditions and see what you connect with and what you don't--I love some Mysteries, and some aren't in my practice/belief system, like the Assumption. You can look up "[denomination] rosary" to see if anyone's done it before you--several people have written Lutheran rosaries, and a Swedish bishop created the pearls of life tradition, to tap into this desire for Protestants! And then of course, you can create your own practice, picking prayers/verses/meditation subjects that are most part of your spirituality, and going through them.

Best wishes on your journey! Fascination in a practice is often (for me, at least) a sign that I should try it out, seeing how it transforms my practice and me. You can always leave it behind if it doesn't work for you.

<3 Johanna

P.S. Artist shoutout! Work of Human Hands on Etsy makes personalized pride flag rosaries, if anyone's interested! I'm planning to get one when it's in my budget :)

[girlactionfigure]

The Jewish Bollywood Star: Esther Abraham

She was India's first female film producer

Esther Abraham was a Jewish Bollywood superstar and the first female film producer in India. She was a proud observant Jew even while shaping modern Indian culture.

Esther was born in Calcutta in 1916 to an Orthodox Jewish family. The Abrahams were Baghdadi Jews who had emigrated from Iraq in the 19th century. In school Esther excelled academically and athletically. She was a talented hockey player with a roomful of trophies. Esther was also an artist who attended Cambridge University after high school and majored in art.

After university, Esther became a kindergarten teacher at a Jewish school in Calcutta, but she yearned to be a performer. Her first job in the entertainment industry was as a dancer for a silent movie theater. Esther’s job was to entertain the audience during a pause in the film while the reel were changed.

Many members of Esther’s family were talented musicians and performers. She went to visit an actress cousin in Bombay who was appearing in a theater production. The director noticed tall, beautiful Esther and gave her a screen test.

Esther did so well on the test that she soon appeared in her first movie, Bhikaran, in 1936. Around this time she was given the screen name Pramila. Audiences fell in love with Pramila and she quickly became one of the most famous actresses in India. She also worked as a model and appeared on many magazine covers. In 1947, at age 31, Esther won the first Miss India contest – while pregnant with her fifth child.

At that time in India, the movie industry was controlled by a handful of extremely wealthy producers who exploited their actors and crew members and paid them only a measly salary. Esther Abraham decided to change that. She defied the studio system by becoming the first female producer of Bollywood feature films. Esther formed her own production company, Silver Productions, and produced sixteen feature films. She treated her cast and crew with respect and paid them well.

Esther starred in 30 films. In addition to being an actress and producer, she did her own stunts and worked as a stunt double for other performers. Esther also designed her own costumes and jewelry for every production.

Famous for her enchantingly beautiful eyes, audiences didn’t know that her eyesight was very poor and she did dance moves by counting the steps. Audiences also were likely unaware that she was Jewish – and probably wouldn’t have cared. Unlike so many countries with Jewish communities, India has no history of antisemitism.

Esther’s daughter Naqi Jahan was crowned Miss India in 1967, and they are the only mother and daughter who both won the title. Her son Haidar Ali is a successful Indian actor and screenwriter. Haidar described his mother: “A woman who was gifted by God with internal power and strength… she magnetized power…. One the home front she kept us together [clenching his fist] like this.”

Esther Abraham appeared in her last film in 2005, at age 90, playing a grandmother in the movie Thaang. She died a few months after its release. Until the end of her long life, Esther remained a practicing Jew. Her funeral was at the Maghen David synagogue, and her son Maurice read Psalms in Hebrew. Esther was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Mumbai.

For entertaining audiences for seventy years, and for being the first female film producer in India, we honor Esther Abraham, aka Pramila, as this week’s Thursday Hero.

[writer-at-the-table]

Unorthodox Menorah II by Joel Otterson, 1993, Mixed metal pipes, cast bronze, porcelain, and glass

"A key component of Joel Otterson's art is the relationship between an object's function and its symbolic purpose; this ideological stance makes Otterson an ideal candidate for creating Jewish ceremonial objects. But despite his interest in the symbolic, Otterson never made a ritual object until 1991, after he visited Israel and became aware of the power of the menorah form. Otterson discovered that this ancient form could be understood on many levels: it has deep religious meaning and is connected with the story of Hanukkah; it is a symbol of the State of Israel and an essential presence in many Israeli homes; and it is even a favorite souvenir for tourists. Touring the large and impressive collection of Hanukkah lamps in the Israel Museum inspired him to make a special Hanukkah lamp entitled Orthodox Menorah, which is in a private collection. The Jewish Museum commissioned this second version in 1993. Otterson's lamp builds on traditional forms but follows the artist's quirky style, which reclaims objects from their everyday existence and reuses them in visually arresting and innovative ways. One of the most striking elements of his lamp is the ornate armature of copper pipe fittings, which he welded together to form the menorah's branches. Copper pipes and soldering are a recurring theme in Otterson's work and recall the profession of both his father and brother, who were plumbers.

Otterson is a master of displacement-that is, juxtaposing unlikely elements to create surprising visual effects, such as the hypermasculine Hulk Hogan figure that crowns Unorthodox Menorah II. During his stay in Israel, Otterson noted that cartoon characters had invaded the realm of ceremonial objects. Bart Simpson, the Smurfs, and the Peanuts characters were regularly emblazoned on yarmulkes (skullcaps) worn by Jewish boys. The playfulness and charm of this idea inspired the artist to choose Hulk Hogan for this lamp. He reasoned, "If they can make a Bart Simpson yarmulke, I can make a Hulk Hogan menorah." The cast glass image of Hulk might at first seem completely incongruous, but traditional Hanukkah lamps often featured a victorious figure, such as the biblical Judith, to suggest the victory of the Jews over their oppressors. The artist updated this idea with an image of the famous television wrestler.

Along with its spreading copper arms and triumphant Hulk Hogan figure, Unorthodox Menorah II features what appears to be a vintage ceramic lamp as a decoration for the main shaft. The base is a cast creation that the artist made to suggest the garish flower-covered ceramic lamps popular in the 1940s and 50s. Otterson uses this object as if it were a precious memento or souvenir It is at once familiar and jarring but resonates with the story of an old lamp that kept on burning." (Berger, Maurice et al. MASTERWORKS OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM. New York: The Jewish Museum, 2004, p. 160.)