ARTHUR SZYK Jewish ART BOOK Bible ESTHER SCROLL Judaica ISRAEL Holocaust HEBREW

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ARTHUR SZYK Jewish ART BOOK Bible ESTHER SCROLL Judaica ISRAEL Holocaust HEBREW:
$149.00

DESCRIPTION : Up for sale is a FINE COPY of ARTHUR SZYK version to the Jewish Biblical“ESTHER SCROLL” . Arthut Szyk has created two versions , The first one in the1920’s and the second one in the 1950’s . The 1950’s one was published inIsrael in 1974 ( One and only edition ) in quite a luxurious edition ( Pleaseread the Ervin Ungar’s article hereunder ). Here for sale is an excellent copy of the 1974 mostsought after Hebrew edition , Szyk’s version is very directly HOLOCAUST RELATED whileHAMAN is deressed with rediculous black fascist uniforms which are decorated with theswastika – An obvious relevant comparison. Over 80 pp throughout profuselyILLUSTRATED and DECORATED . Each of Szyk’s magnificently original pages isaccompanied by an Hebrew commentary , Also placed within one Szyk decoratedframing . A genuine beauty. Please watch the EXQUISITE DESIGN of this version .Not much to be added to the extreme ARTISTIC and HISTORICAL qualities of thisONE OF ITS KIND Jewish artistic creation. , One Judaica ARTHUR SZYK MASTERPIECE . Exquisitelyillustrated HC and DJ. Over 80 throughout illustrated and decorated unpagedchromo pp. Measures around8.5\" x11\".Unpaged . Good condition. Used. Small tears in DJ. Slight cover wear. ( Pls lookat scan for accurate AS IS images ). Will be sent inside aprotective rigid envelope . PAYMENTS : Payment method accepted : Paypal .SHIPPMENT : SHIPP worldwide via registered airmail is$17 . Book will be sent inside a protective envelope . Handling within 3-5 days after payment. Estimated duration 14 days.

class=\"MsoNormal\">Arthur Szyk(Polish: [ˈartur ʃɪk], June 16, 1894 – September 13, 1951) was a Polish-Jewish artist who worked primarily as abook illustratorand political artist throughout his decades-long career. Arthur Szyk was born into a prosperous middle-classJewishfamily inŁódź,[1][2]in the part of Poland which was under Russian rule in the 19th century. An acculturated Polish Jew, Szyk always proudly regarded himself both as a Pole and a Jew.[3]From 1921, he lived and created his works mainly in France and Poland, and in 1937 he moved to the United Kingdom. In 1940, he settled permanently in the United States, where he was granted American citizenship in 1948.Arthur Szyk became a renowned artist and book illustrator as early as the interwar period. His works were exhibited and published not only in Poland, but also in France, the United Kingdom, Israel and the United States. However, he gained broad popularity in the United States primarily through his political caricatures, in which, after the outbreak of World War II, he savaged the policies and personalities of the leaders of theAxis powers. After the war, he also devoted himself to political issues, especially the support of the creation of the state ofIsrael.Szyk\'s work is characterized in its material content by social and political commitment, and in its formal aspect by its rejection ofmodernismand embrace of the traditions ofmedievalandrenaissance painting, especiallyilluminated manuscriptsfrom those periods. Unlike most caricaturists, Szyk always showed great attention to the colouristic effects and details in his works.Today, Szyk is an increasingly well-known and often exhibited artist only in his last home country, the United States. However, exhibitions in Poland and Germany are familiarizing Europe with one of the most prolific artists of World War II.Contents[hide]1 Background and Youth2 Between the Wars2.1 In Reborn Poland2.2 Szyk in France2.3 Statute of Kalisz.Washington and his Times2.4 TheHaggadah. Moving to London.2.5 New York World\'s Fair, 19393 Szyk in World War II3.1 Reaction to the outbreak of the war3.2 Moving to the United States. War caricatures3.3 Social Justice on the Home Front3.4 Book Illustrations4 After the war, last years of life5 Legacy6 Notes7 Bibliography8 External linksBackground and Youth[edit]Arthur Szyk,[4]the son of Solomon Szyk and his wife Eugenia, was born in Łódź, in Russian-occupied Poland, on June 16, 1894. Solomon Szyk was a textile factory director, a quiet occupation until June 1905, when, during the so-calledŁódź insurrection, one of his workers threw acid in his face, permanently blinding him.Portrait of Julia Szyk. Paris, 1926.Szyk showed artistic talent as a child; when he was six years old, he reportedly drew sketches of theBoxer Rebellionin China.[5]Even though his family was culturally assimilated and did not practiceOrthodox Judaism, Arthur also liked drawing biblical scenes from theHebrew Bible. These interests and talents prompted his father, upon the advice of Szyk\'s teachers, to send Szyk to Paris to study atAcadémie Julian,[6]a studio school popular among French and foreign students. In Paris, Szyk was exposed to all modern trends in art; however, he decided to follow his own way, which hewed closely to tradition. He was especially attracted by the medieval art of illuminating manuscripts, which greatly influenced his later works. When studying in Paris, Szyk remained closely involved with the social and civic life of Łódź. During the years 1912–1914 the teenage artist produced numerous drawings and caricatures on contemporary political themes that were published in the Łódź satirical magazineŚmiech(\"Laughter\").After four years in France, Szyk returned to Poland in 1913 and continued his studies inTeodor Axentowicz\'s class atJan Matejko Academy of Fine ArtsinKraków, which was under Austrian rule at that time. He not only attended lectures and classes, but he also actively participated in Kraków\'s cultural life. He did not forget his home city Łódź – he designed the stage sets and costumes for the Łódź-based Bi Ba Bo cabaret. The political and national engagement of the artist also deepened during that time – Szyk regarded himself as a Polish patriot but he was also proud of being Jewish and he often opposedantisemitismin his works. At the beginning of 1914, Szyk in a group with other Polish-Jewish artists and writers set off on a journey to Palestine, organized by the Jewish Cultural Society Hazamir (Hebrew: nightingale). There he observed the efforts of Jewish settlers working for the benefit of the future Jewish state.[7]The visit was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. Szyk, who was a Russian subject, had to leave Palestine, which was part of theOttoman Empireat that time, and go back to his home country in August 1914. He was conscripted into the Russian army and fought at thebattle of Łódźin November/December 1914, but at the beginning of 1915 he managed to escape from the army and spent the rest of the war in his home city. He also used the time spent in the Russian army to draw Russian soldiers and published these drawings as postcards in the same year (1915).[8]On September 14, 1916, Arthur Szyk married Julia Likerman. Their son George was born in the following year, and their daughter Alexandra in 1922.Between the Wars[edit]In Reborn Poland[edit]In this image from the 1919 book Rewolucja w Niemczech (Revolution in Germany), aValkyrie-like figure stands on a globe stamped with the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz).After Poland had regained independence in 1918, Szyk fully developed his artistic activity, combining it with political engagement. In 1919, influenced by the events of theGerman Revolution of 1918–19, he published, together with poetJulian Tuwim, his first book of political illustrations:Rewolucja w Niemczech(Revolution in Germany), which was a satire on the Germans, who need theKaiser\'s and the military\'s consent even to start a revolution.[9]In the same year, Szyk had to take part in warfare again – during thePolish–Soviet War(1919–1920), in which he served as aPolish cavalryofficer and as the artistic director of thepropagandadepartment of the Polish army in Łódź.[10][11]Szyk in France[edit]In 1921 Arthur Szyk and his family moved to Paris where they stayed until 1933. The relocation to Paris is marked by a breakthrough in the formal aspect of Szyk\'s works. While Szyk\'s prior book illustrations were drawings in pen and ink (Szyk had illustrated six books before 1925, including three published in theYiddish language), the illustrations for the books published in Paris were full colour and full of detail. The first book illustrated in this way was theBook of Esther(Le livre d\'Esther, 1925), followed byGustave Flaubert\'s dialogueThe Temptation of Saint Anthony(La tentation de Saint Antoine, 1926),Pierre Benoît\'s novelJacob\'s Well(Le puits de Jacob, 1927) and other books. Those illustrations, which are characterized by a rich diversity of colours and detailed presentation, deliberately referred to the medieval and renaissance traditions of illumination of manuscripts, often with interspersed contemporary elements. Szyk drew himself as one of the characters in the Book of Esther.. The only stylistic exception is illustrations to the two volume collection of humorousanecdotesabout JewsLe juif qui rit(1926/27), in which the artist returned to simple black and white graphics. (Paradoxically, the book, one of the best known of his works, met with criticism as repeating antisemitic stereotypes.) The artist\'s reputation was also enhanced by exhibitions which were organized by Galeries Auguste Decour (the art gallery first exhibited Szyk\'s works in 1922). Szyk\'s drawings were purchased by the Minister of Education and Fine ArtsAnatole de Monzieand the New York businessman Harry Glemby.[12]Szyk had many opportunities to travel for his art. In 1922, he spent seven weeks inMorocco, then aprotectorate of France, where he drew the portrait of thepashaofMarrakech– as a goodwill ambassador he received theOrdre des Palmes Académiquesfrom the French government for this work. In 1931 he was invited to the seat of theLeague of NationsinGeneva, where he began illustrating the statute of the League. The artist made some of the pages of the statute but did not complete that work as a result of his disappointment with the policies of the organization in the 1930s.[13]David and Saul (1921), Łódź, Poland.Pieśń nad Pieśniami (Song of Songs) frontispiece, (c.1924), Łódź, PolandLa Ronde de Deesses (The Circle of Goddesses) (1925), Paris.Le Talisman, The Lionheart Lies in his Pavilion (1927), Paris.Bar Kochba (1927), Paris.Pacte de la Société des Nations (Covenant of the League of Nations) (1931), Paris.Statute of Kalisz.Washington and his Times[edit]During his stay in France, Szyk maintained his ties with Poland. He often visited his home country, illustrated books, and exhibited his works there. During the second half of the 1920s, he mainly illustrated theStatute of Kalisz, a charter of liberties which were granted to the Jews byBolesław the Pious, the Duke ofKalisz, in 1264. In the years 1926–1928, he created a rich graphic setting of the 45-page-long Statute, showing the contribution of the Jews to Polish society; for example their participation in Poland\'s pro-independence struggle, during theJanuary Uprisingof 1863, and in thePolish Legions in World War Icommanded byJózef Piłsudski, to whom Szyk also dedicated his work.The Statute of Kaliszwas published in book form inMunichin 1932, but it gained popularity even earlier. Postcards with reproductions of Szyk\'s illustrations were published in Kraków around 1927. The original art was shown at exhibitions inWarsaw, Łódź and Kalisz in 1929, and a \"Traveling Exhibition of Artur Szyk\'s Works\" was held in 1932–1933, displaying the Statute at exhibitions in 14 Polish towns and cities. In recognition for his work, Arthur Szyk was decorated with the GoldCross of Meritby the Polish government.[14][15]Another great historical series Szyk created wasWashington and his Times, which he began in Paris in 1930. The series, which included 38watercolours, depicted the events of theAmerican Revolutionary Warand was a tribute to the first president of the United States and the American nation in general. The series was presented at an exhibition at theLibrary of Congressin Washington, D.C. in 1934. It brought another decoration to Szyk – this time the George Washington Bicentennial Medal from the American government.[16][17]Statute of Kalisz, frontispiece (Casimir the Great) (1927), Paris.Statute of Kalisz, English page (1927), Paris.Statute of Kalisz, Jewish Craftsmen and Tradesmen (1927), Paris.Washington and His Times, Washington the Soldier (1930), Paris.Washington and His Times, The Struggle on Concord Bridge (1930), Paris.TheHaggadah. Moving to London.[edit]Arthur Szyk (1894–1951). Hitler as Pharaoh, c. 1933. This sketch depicts the newly appointed Chancellor of GermanyAdolf Hitlerdressed as an ancient Egyptianpharaoh, a clear reference to the antagonist in the biblical story of theExodusof the Hebrew slaves from Egypt.Szyk\'s art became even more politically engaged whenAdolf Hitlertook power in Germany in 1933. Szyk started drawing caricatures of Germany\'s Führer as early as 1933; probably the first was a pencil drawing of Hitler dressed as an ancient Egyptianpharaoh.[18]These drawings anticipated another great series of Szyk\'s drawings – theHaggadah, which is considered hismagnum opus. TheHaggadahis a very important and popular story in Jewish culture and religion about theExodusor departure of theIsraelitesfromancient Egypt, which is read every year during thePassover Seder.[19]Szyk illustrated the Haggadah in 48 miniature paintings in the years 1934–1936. The antisemitic politics in Germany led Szyk introduce some contemporary elements to it. For example, he painted the Jewishparableof the Four Sons, in which the \"wicked son\" was portrayed as a man wearing German clothes, with a Hitler-like moustache and a green Alpine hat. The political intent of the series was even stronger in its original version: he painted upon the red snakes the swastika, the symbol of theThird Reich.In 1937, Arthur Szyk went to London to supervise the publication of theHaggadah. However, in the three years leading to its publication, the artist had to agree to many compromises, including painting over the swastikas. It is not clear whether he did it under the pressure from his publisher or from British politicians who pursued the policy ofappeasementwith to Germany. TheHaggadahwas at last published in 1940, dedicated it to KingGeorge VIand with a translation (of the Hebrew) and commentary by British Jewish historian Cecil Roth. The work was widely acclaimed by critics; according toThe Timesof London Literary Supplement, it was \"worthy to be placed among the most beautiful of books that the hand of man has ever produced\".[20][21]It was the most expensive new book in the world at the time, with each of the 250 limited edition copies of vellum selling for 100 guineas or USD$520.[22]The Haggadah, Dedication to King George VI (1936), Łódź, Poland.The Haggadah, The Family at the Seder (1935), Łódź, Poland.The Haggadah, The Four Questions (1935), Łódź, Poland.The Haggadah. The Four Sons (1934), Łódź, Poland.The Haggadah. French Dedication Page (1935), Łódź, Poland.The Haggadah, Pharaoh\'s Army Perishing in the Red Sea.New York World\'s Fair, 1939[edit]The last major exhibition of Szyk\'s works before the outbreak of World War II was the presentation of his paintings at the1939 New York World\'s Fair, which opened in April 1939 in New York.[23]The Polish Pavilion prominently featured Szyk\'s twenty-three paintings depicting the contribution of the Poles to the history of the United States; many works specifically highlighted the historic political connections between the two countries, as if to remind the viewer that Poland remained a suitable ally in a turbulent time.. (Twenty of the images were reproduced as postcards in Kraków in 1938 and were available for sale.). In this series, Szyk depicted the contribution of the Poles to the history of the United States, and highlighted historic connections between the two countries.[24]Polish-American Fraternity series, Tadeusz Kościuszko (1938), London.Polish-American Fraternity series, Wilson and Paderewski (1939), Kraków.Szyk in World War II[edit]Reaction to the outbreak of the war[edit]The German \'Authority\' in Poland (1939), LondonThe New Order (dust jacket). New York: G.P. Putnam\'s Sons, 1941The German invasion of Poland found Szyk in Britain where he supervised the publication of theHaggadahand continued to exhibit his works. The artist immediately reacted to the outbreak of World War II by producing war-themed works. One feature which distinguished Szyk from other caricaturists who were active during World War II was that he concentrated on the presentation of the enemy in his works and seldom depicted the leaders or soldiers of the Allies. This was a characteristic feature of Szyk\'s work till the end of the war.[25]In January 1940, the exhibition of his 72 caricatures entitledWar and \"Kultur\" in Polandopened at the Fine Art Society in London, and was well received by the critics. As the reviewer ofThe Timeswrote:There are three leading motives in the exhibition: the brutality of the Germans – and the more primitive savagery of the Russians, the heroism of the Poles, and the suffering of the Jews. The cumulative effect of the exhibition is immensely powerful because nothing in it appears to be a hasty judgment, but part of the unrelenting pursuit of an evil so firmly grasped that it can be dwelt upon with artistic satisfaction.[26]Szyk drew more and more caricatures directed at the Axis powers and their leaders, and his popularity steadily grew. In 1940, the American publisherG.P. Putnam\'s Sonsoffered to publish a collection of his drawings. Szyk agreed, and the result was the 1941 bookThe New Order, available months before the United States joined the war.Thomas Cravendeclared on the dust jacket ofThe New Orderthat Szyk:…makes not only cartoons but beautifully composed pictures which suggest, in their curiously decorative quality, the inspired illuminations of the early religious manuscripts. His designs are as compact as a bomb, extraordinarily lucid in statement, firm and incisive in line, and deadly in their characterizations. (…) These are remarkable documents.[27]Some years later, in 1946, art criticCarl Van Dorensaid of Szyk:There is no one more certain to be alive two hundred years from now. Just as we turn back to Hogarth and Goya for the living images of their age, so our descendants will turn back to Arthur Szyk for the most graphic history of Hitler and Hirohito and Mussolini. Here is the damning essence of what has happened; here is the piercing summary of what men have thought and felt.Moving to the United States. War caricatures[edit]Arthur Szyk, 1942,Anti-Christ, watercolor and gouache on paper. Szyk\'s portrayal ofAdolf Hitleras the embodiment of evil: his eyes reflect human skulls, his black hair the Latin words \"Vae Victis\" [woe to the vanquished (ones)].Arthur Szyk illustrated numerous covers forCollier\'smagazine duringWorld War II.At the beginning of July 1940, with the support of the British government and thePolish government-in-exile, Arthur Szyk left Britain for North America, on assignment to popularize in the New World the struggle of the British and Polish nations againstNazism. His first destination on the continent was Canada, where he was welcomed enthusiastically by the media: they wrote about his engagement in the fight with Nazi Germany, and the Halifax-basedMorning Heraldeven reported about the alleged bounty Hitler had put on Szyk.[28]In December 1940, Szyk and his wife and daughter went to New York City, where he lived till 1945. His son, George, had enlisted in theFree French Forcescommanded by GeneralCharles de Gaulle.[29]Soon after his arrival in the U.S., Szyk was inspired by Roosevelt\'s 1941 \"Four Freedoms\"State of the Unionspeech to illustrate the Four Freedoms, precedingNorman Rockwell\'s Four Freedoms by two years;[30]these were used asposter stampsduring the war, and appeared on the Four Freedoms Award which was presented toHarry Truman,George MarshallandHerbert H. Lehman. Szyk became an immensely popular artist in his new home country the war, especially after the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harborand the entry of the United States into the war. His caricatures of the leaders of the Axis powers (Hitler, Mussolini, Hirohito) and other drawings appeared practically everywhere: in newspapers, magazines (includingTime(cover caricature of AdmiralIsoroku Yamamotoin December 1941),Esquire, andCollier\'s), on posters, postcards and stamps, in secular, religious and military publications, on public and military buildings. He also produced advertisements forCoca-ColaandU.S. Steel, and exhibited in the galleries of M. Knodler & Co., Andre Seligmann, Inc., Messrs. Wildenstein & Co., thePhiladelphia Art Alliance, theBrooklyn Museum, thePalace of the Legion of Honorin San Francisco, and theWhite House. More than 25 exhibitions were staged altogether in the United States during the war years. At the end of the war, in 1945, his drawingTwo Down and One to Gowas used in a propaganda film calling American soldiers to the final assault on Japan. According to theEsquiremagazine, the posters with Szyk\'s drawings enjoyed even bigger popularity with American soldiers thanpin-up girlsput on the walls of American military bases.[31]In total, more than one million American soldiers saw Szyk\'s in reproduction at some 500 locations administered by the United Services Organization.[32]Satan Leads the Ball (1942), New York.The Nibelungen series, Valhalla (1942), New York.The Nibelungen series, Ride of the Valkyries (1942), New York.Fool the Axis Use Prophylaxis poster (1942), Philadelphia.In Comradeship of Arms series, Joan of Arc (1942), New YorkIn Comradeship of Arms series, King Jagiełło of Poland (1942), New York.De Profundis - Cain, Where is Abel Thy Brother? as published in theChicago Sun, 1943.To Be Shot as Dangerous Enemies of the Third Reich (1943), New York.We\'re Running Short of Jews (1943), New York.Tears of Rage - \"Action, Not Pity\" as published in theNew York Times, 1943.Black, White and Jew in Common Cause (1943), New York.Save Human Lives poster stamps (1944), New York.Palestine Restricted (1944) as reproduced on a 1946 report.Ink & blood, Frontispiece (1944), New York.Two Down and One to Go pamphlet (1945), Washington DC.Eleanor Rooseveltpresented with an Arthur Szyk work in 1956. Szyk himself died 5 years earlier.In recognition for his services in the fight against Nazism,Fascism, and the Japanese aggression,Eleanor Roosevelt, First Lady and wife of President F. D. Roosevelt, wrote about Szyk several times in her newspaper column,My Day.[33]On January 8, 1943, she wrote:...I had a few minutes to stop in to see an exhibition of war satires and miniatures by Arthur Szyk at the Seligman Galleries on East 57th Street. This exhibition is sponsored by the Writers\' War Board. I know of no other miniaturist doing quite this kind of work. In its way it fights the war against Hitlerism as truly as any of us who cannot actually be on the fighting fronts today.Social Justice on the Home Front[edit]Though Szyk was a fierce opponent ofNazi Germanyand the rest of theAxis Powers, he did not avoid topics or themes which presented theAlliesin a less favourable light. Szyk criticized the United Kingdom for its policies in the Middle East, especially its practice of imposing limits on Jewish emigration to Palestine.[34][35]) Szyk also criticized the apparent passivity of American-Jewish organizations towards the tragedy of their European fellows.[36]He supported the work ofHillel Kook, also known as Peter Bergson, a member of theZionistorganizationIrgun, who mounted a publicity campaign in American society whose aim was to draw the American public\'s attention to the fate of the European Jews. Szyk illustrated for example full-page advertisements (sometimes with copy by screenwriterBen Hecht) which were published inThe New York Times. The artist also spoke against racial tensions in the United States and criticized the fact that the black population did not have the same rights as the whites. In one of his drawings, there are two American soldiers – one black and one white – escorting German prisoners of war. When the white one asks the black: \"And what would you do with Hitler?\", the black one answers: \"I would have made him a Negro and dropped him somewhere in the U.S.A.\"[37]Szyk\'s attitude to his mother country, Poland, was very interesting and full of contradictions. Even though he regarded himself both as Jewish and Polish and showed the suffering of the Poles (not only those of Jewish descent) in the Russian-occupied Polish territories in his drawings, even though he benefited from financial support of thePolish government-in-exile(at least at the beginning of the war), Szyk sometimes presented that government in a negative light, especially at the end of World War II. In a controversial drawing dated 1944, a group of debating Polish politicians are shown as opponents of Roosevelt,Joseph Stalin, the \"Bolshevik agent\"Winston Churchill, and at the same time adherents of FatherCharles Coughlin, known for his antisemitic views, as well as \"(national) democracy\"[38]and \"(national) socialism.\" Around 1943, Szyk, a former participant in the Polish–Soviet War, also completely changed his opinions on the Soviet Union. His drawing from 1944 already depicts outright a soldier of the Moscow-supportedPeople\'s Army of Polandnext to aRed Armysoldier, both liberating Poland.[39]Whatever his political views, in July 1942 Szyk took the time to look after the family of the Polish diplomat and poet GeneralBolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowskiwhen the General committed suicide. He invited his wifeBronisława Wieniawa-Długoszowskaand daughter Zuzanna to stay with his family for six weeks in the country.De Profundis (Chicago Sun, 1943)Tears of Rage - Action - Not Pity (The New York Times, 1943)We Must Ask Washington. New York, 1944.Book Illustrations[edit]Even though caricatures dominated Szyk\'s artistic output during the war, he was still engaged in other areas of art. In 1940, the American publisherGeorge Macy, who saw his illustrations for theHaggadahat an exhibition in London, asked him to illustrate theRubaiyat, a collection of poems of the Iranian poetOmar Khayyám.[40]In 1943, the artist started work on illustrations for theBook of Job, published in 1946; he also illustrated collections of fairy tales byHans Christian Andersen(Andersen\'s Fairy Tales, 1945) andCharles Perrault(Mother Goose, which was not published).[41]Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám(1940), New York.Andersen\'s Fairy Tales, inside cover illustration (1944), New York.Andersen\'s Fairy Tales, The King and Queen of Roses (1945), New York.After the war, last years of life[edit]In 1945, Arthur Szyk and his family moved from New York City toNew Canaan, Connecticutwhere he lived till the end of his life. The end of the war released him from the duty to fight Nazism through his caricatures; a large collection of drawings from the war period was published by the Heritage Press in 1946 in book form asInk and blood: A Book of Drawings. The artist returned to book illustrations, working for example onThe Canterbury TalesbyGeoffrey Chaucerand, most notably, books tellingBiblestories, such asPathways through the Bibleby Mortimer J. Cohen (1946), theThe Book of Job(1946),The Book of Ruth(1947),The Ten Commandments(1947),The Story of Joseph and his Brothers(1949). Some of the books illustrated by Szyk were also published posthumously, includingThe Arabian Nights Entertainments(1954) andThe Book of Esther(1974). He was also commissioned by Canadian entrepreneur and stamp connoisseur,Kasimir Bileski, to create illustrations for the Visual History of Nations (orUnited Nations) series of stamps; though the project never came to fruition, Szyk did design stamp album frontispieces for more than a dozen countries, including the United States, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Israel.The Canterbury Tales, The Manciple (1945), New York.Visual History of Nations, The United States of America (1945), New Canaan, Connecticut.Visual History of Nations,Israel(1948), New Canaan, Connecticut.The Holiday Series,Rosh Hashanah(1948), New Canaan, Connecticut.Arabian Nights Entertainments, The Husband and the Parrot (1948), New Canaan, Connecticut.Arthur Szyk was granted American citizenship on May 22, 1948, but he reportedly experienced the happiest day in his life eight days earlier: on May 14, the day of the announcement of theIsraeli Declaration of Independence.[42]Arthur Szyk commemorated that event by creating the richly decorated illumination of the Hebrew text of the declaration. Two years later, on July 4, 1950, he also exhibited the richly illuminated text of theUnited States Declaration of Independence. The artist continued to be politically engaged in his country, criticizing theMcCarthyismpolicy (the ubiquitous atmosphere of suspicion and searching for sympathizers ofcommunismin American artistic and academic circles) and signs ofracism. One of his well-known drawings from 1949 shows two armed members ofKu Klux Klanapproaching a tied-up African American; the caption for the drawing reads, \"Do not forgive them, oh Lord, for they do know what they do.\" Like many outspoken artists of his era, Szyk was suspected by theHouse Un-American Activities Committee, which accused him of being a member of the Joint Anti-Fascist Refugee Committee and six other suspicious organizations. Szyk himself, however, repudiated these accusations of alleged sympathy for communism; his son George send Judge Simon Rifkind a memorandum outlining his father\'s innocence.[43]Do Not Forgive Them, O Lord, For They Do Know What They Do (1949), New Canaan, Connecticut.McCarthyism-He is Under Investigation, His blood is Red and His Heart is Left of Center (1949), New Canaan, Connecticut.The Book of Esther, Szyk and Haman (1950). New Canaan, Connecticut.Declaration of Independence (1950), New Canaan, ConnecticutThomas Jefferson\'s Oath (1951), New Canaan, Connecticut.Arthur Szyk died of aheart attackin New Canaan on September 13, 1951.[44]He was eulogized by RabbiBen Zion Bokser, who said::\"Arthur Szyk was a great artist. Endowed by God with a rare sensitivity to beauty and with a rare skill in giving it graphic representation, he used his talents to create a series of works of splendor and magnificence that will live forever in the history of art. But Arthur Szyk was more than a great artist. He was a great man, a champion of justice, a fearless warrior in the cause of every humanitarian endeavor. His art was his tool and he used it brilliantly. It was in his hands a weapon of struggle with which he fought for the causes close to his heart\"; and by Judge Simon H. Rifkind, who said: \"The Arthur Szyk whom the world knows, the Arthur Szyk of the wondrous color, and of the beautiful design, that Arthur Szyk whom the world mourns today—he is indeed not dead at all. How can he be when the Arthur Szyk who is known to mankind lives and is immortal and will remain immortal as long as the love of truth and beauty prevails among mankind?\"[45]Legacy[edit]Exhibition of Szyk\'s works at theHolocaust Museum HoustonThe immense popularity Szyk enjoyed in the United States and Europe in his lifetime gradually Flagged after his death. From the 1960s to the end of the 1980s, the artist\'s works were seldom exhibited in American museums. This changed in 1991 when the non-profit organization The Arthur Szyk Society was established inOrange County, California. The founder of the Society, George Gooche, rediscovered Szyk\'s works and staged the exhibition \"Arthur Szyk – Illuminator\" in Los Angeles. In 1997, the seat of the Society was transferred toBurlingame, California, and a new Board ofTrusteeswas elected, headed by rabbi, curator and antiquarian Irvin Ungar. The Society\'s work resulted in staging many exhibitions of Szyk\'s works in American cities in the 1990s and 2000s. The Society also maintains a large educational website,[46]holds lectures, and produces publications on the artist.Szyk\'s recent solo exhibitions include:\"Arthur Szyk and the Art of the Haggadah\",Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco (February 13 to June 29, 2014)\"Arthur Szyk: Miniature Paintings and Modern Illuminations\",California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco (December 10, 2010 to March 27, 2011)\"A One-Man Army: The Art of Arthur Szyk\",Holocaust Museum Houston(October 20, 2008 – February 8, 2009)\"Arthur Szyk – Drawing Against National Socialism and Terror\",[47]Deutsches Historisches Museum(DHM), Berlin, Germany (August 29, 2008 – January 4, 2009)\"The Art and Politics of Arthur Szyk\",United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. (April 10 – October 14, 2002)\"Arthur Szyk: Artist for Freedom\",Library of Congress(December 9, 1999 – May 6, 2000)\"Justice Illuminated: The Art of Arthur Szyk\", Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, Chicago (August 16, 1998 – February 28, 1999)[48]—later traveled throughout Poland: Warsaw, Jewish Historical Institute; Łódź, Museum of the City of Łódź; and Kraków, Center for Jewish Culture.*****TheBook of Esther, also known inHebrewas \"the Scroll\" (Megillah), is a book in the third section (Ketuvim, \"Writings\") of theJewishTanakh(theHebrew Bible) and in the ChristianOld Testament. It relates the story of aHebrewgirl inPersia, born as Hadassah but known asEsther, who becomes queen of Persia and thwarts agenocideof her people. The story forms the core of theJewish festivalofPurim, during which it is read aloud twice: once in the evening and again the following morning. Esther is the only book in the Bible that does not explicitly mentionGod.[2]Contents[hide]1 Setting and structure1.1 Setting1.2 Structure2 Summary3 Authorship and date4 Historicity5 Historical reading6 Interpretation7 Additions to Esther8 Modern retelling9 References9.1 Citations9.2 Bibliography10 External links10.1 Text and translations10.2 Physical relicsSetting and structure[edit]Setting[edit]The biblical Book of Esther is set in the PersiancapitalofSusa(Shushan) in the third year of the reign of thePersian kingAhasuerus. The nameAhasuerusis equivalent toXerxes[3](both deriving from thePersianKhshayārsha),[4]and Ahasuerus is usually identified in modern sources asXerxes I,[5]who ruled between 486 and 465 BC,[3]as it is to this monarch that the events described in Esther are thought to fit the most closely.[4][6]However, classical sources such asJosephus, the Jewish commentaryEsther Rabbahand theChristian theologianBar-Hebraeus,[7]as well as theGreekSeptuaginttranslation of Esther, instead identify Ahasuerus as eitherArtaxerxes I(reigned 465 to 424 BCE) orArtaxerxes II(reigned 404 to 358 BCE).[7]Assuming that Ahasuerus is indeed Xerxes I, the events described in Esther began around the years 483–482 BCE, and concluded in March 473 BCE.Structure[edit]The Book of Esther consists of an introduction (orexposition) in chapters 1 and 2; the main action (complication and resolution) in chapters 3 to 9:19; and a conclusion in 9:20–10:3.[8]The plot is structured around banquets (mishteh), a word that occurs twenty times in Esther and only 24 times in the rest of the Hebrew bible. This is appropriate given that Esther describes the origin of a Jewish feast, the feast ofPurim, but Purim itself is not the subject and no individual feast in the book is commemorated by Purim. The book\'s theme, rather, is the reversal of destiny through a sudden and unexpected turn of events: the Jews seem destined to be destroyed, but instead are saved. In literary criticism such a reversal is termed \"peripety\", and while on one level its use in Esther is simply a literary or aesthetic device, on another it is structural to the author\'s theme, suggesting that the power of God is at work behind human events.[9]Summary[edit]The opening chapter of a hand-written scroll of the Book of Esther, with reader\'s pointerThe story begins with Ahasuerus, ruler of thePersian Empire, holding a lavish banquet, initially for his court and dignitaries and afterwards for all inhabitants of the capital city,Shushan. On the seventh day, Ahasuerus orders the queen,Vashti, to come and display her beauty before the guests by wearing only her crown. She refuses. Furious, Ahasuerus has her removed from her position and makes arrangements to choose a new queen from a selection of beautiful young women from throughout the empire.One of these is the Jewishorphan,Esther. After the death of her parents, she was fostered by hercousin,Mordecai. She finds favour in the King\'s eyes, and is crowned his new queen. Shortly afterwards, Mordecai discovers a plot by two courtiers,Bigthan and Teresh, to assassinate Ahasuerus. The conspirators are apprehended and hanged, and Mordecai\'s service to the King is duly recorded.Ahasuerus appointsHamanas hisviceroy. Mordecai, who sits at the palace gates, falls into Haman\'s disfavour, as he refuses to bow down to him. Having discovered that Mordecai is Jewish, Haman plans to kill not just Mordecai, but all the Jews in the empire. He duly obtains Ahasuerus\' permission to execute this plan, against payment of ten thousandtalentsof silver, and casts lots to choose the date on which to do this—the thirteenth of the month ofAdar.When Mordecai finds out about the plan, he implores Esther to try and intercede with the King; but she is afraid to break the law and present herself to the King unsummoned, as this was punishable by death. She orders Mordecai to have all Jews fast for three days together with her, and on the third day she goes to Ahasuerus, who stretches out his sceptre to her to indicate that she is not to be punished. She invites him to a feast in the company of Haman. During the feast, she asks them to attend a further feast the next evening. Meanwhile, Haman is again offended by Mordecai and, at his wife\'s suggestion, has agallowsbuilt to hang him.That night, King Ahasuerus suffersinsomnia, and when he orders the court records be read to him in order to help him sleep, he is reminded of the services rendered by Mordecai in the previous plot against his life. Ahasuerus is informed that Mordecai never received any recognition for this.Just then, Haman appears, to request the King\'s permission to hang Mordecai, but before he can make this request, King Ahasuerus asks Haman what should be done for the man that the King wishes to honor. Assuming that the man that the King is referring to is himself, Haman suggests that the man be dressed in the King\'s royal robes and led around on the King\'s royal horse, while aheraldcalls: \"See how the King honours a man he wishes to reward!\" To his surprise and horror, the King instructs Haman to do so to Mordecai.Immediately after, Ahasuerus and Haman attend Esther\'s second banquet, at which she reveals that she is Jewish and that Haman is planning to exterminate her people, including her. Overcome by rage, Ahasuerus leaves the room; meanwhile Haman stays behind and begs Esther for his life, falling upon her in desperation. The King returns in at this very moment and thinks Haman is assaulting the queen; this makes him angrier than before and he orders Haman hanged on the gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordecai.Instead of annulling the decree, the King reverses it, permitting the Jews to attack their enemies. On 13 Adar, 500 men and Haman\'s ten sons are killed in Shushan. Upon hearing of this Esther requests it be repeated the next day, whereupon 300 more men are killed. In total, 75,000Persiansare slaughtered by the Jews, who take no plunder. Esther sends a letter instituting an annual commemoration of the Jewish people\'s redemption, in a holiday calledPurim(lots). Ahasuerus remains very powerful and continues his reign, with Mordecai assuming a prominent position in his court.[10]Authorship and date[edit]Scroll of Esther (Megillah)TheMegillat Esther(Book of Esther) became the last of the 24 books of theTanakhto be canonized by the Sages of theGreat Assembly. According to the Talmud, it was aredactionby the Great Assembly of an original text by Mordecai.[11]It is usually dated to the 4th century BCE.[12][13]Shemaryahu Talmon, however, suggests that \"the traditional setting of the book in the days of Xerxes I cannot be wide off the mark.\"[14]The Greek book of Esther, included in theSeptuagint, is a retelling of the events of the Hebrew Book of Esther rather than a translation and recordsadditional traditionswhich do not appear in original Hebrew version, in particular the identification of Ahasuerus withArtaxerxesand details of various letters. It is dated around the late 2nd to early 1st century BCE.[15][16]The Coptic and Ethiopic versions of Esther are translations of the Greek rather than the Hebrew Esther.A Latin version of Esther was produced byJeromefor theVulgate. It translates the Hebrew Esther but interpolates translations of the Greek Esther where the latter provides additional material.Several Aramaictargumsof Esther were produced in theMiddle Agesof which two survive – theTargum Rishon(\"First Targum\") andTargum Sheni(\"Second Targum\")[17][18]dated c. 500–1000CE.[19]These were not targums (\"translations\") in the true sense but like the Greek Esther are retellings of events and include additional legends relating to Purim.[17]There is also a 16th-century recension of theTargum Rishon, sometimes counted asTargum Shelishi(\"Third Targum\").[18]Historicity[edit]The book of Esther falls under the category ofKetuvim, one of three parts of the Jewish canon.[20]According to some sources, it is ahistorical novella, written toexplain the originof the Jewish holiday of Purim.[20][21]As noted by biblical scholarMichael D. Coogan, the book contains specific details regarding certain subject matter (for example, Persian rule) which are historically inaccurate. For example, Coogan discusses an apparent inaccuracy regarding the age of Esther\'s cousin (or, according to others, uncle)Mordecai.[20][21]In Esther 2:5–6, either Mordecai or his great-grandfather Kish is identified as having been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by KingNebuchadnezzar IIin 597BCE: \"Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive withJeconiahking of Judah\". If this refers to Mordecai, he would have had to live over a century to have witnessed the events described in the Book of Esther.[20]However, the verse may be read as referring not to Mordecai\'s exile to Babylon, but to his great-grandfather Kish\'s exile.[22][23][24]In her article \"The Book of Esther and Ancient Storytelling\", biblical scholarAdele Berlindiscusses the reasoning behind scholarly concern about the historicity of Esther. Much of this debate relates to the importance of distinguishing history and fiction within biblical texts, as Berlin argues, in order to gain a more accurate understanding of the history of the Israelite people.[25]Berlin quotes a series of scholars who suggest that the author of Esther did not mean for the book to be considered as a historical writing, but intentionally wrote it to be a historical novella.[26]The genre of novellas under which Esther falls was common during both the Persian andHellenistic periodsto which scholars have dated the book of Esther.[20][25]There are certain elements of the book of Esther that are historically accurate. The story told in the book of Esther takes place during the rule of Ahasuerus, who has been identified as the 5th-century Persian kingXerxes I(reigned 486–465 BCE). The author also displays an accurate knowledge of Persian customs and palaces.[23]However, according to Coogan, considerable historical inaccuracies remain throughout the text, supporting the view that the book of Esther is to be read as a historical novella which tells a story describing historical events but is not necessarily historical fact.[20]Edwin M. Yamauchihas questioned the reliability of other historical sources, such asHerodotus, to which Esther has been compared. Yamauchi wrote, \"[Herodotus] was, however, the victim of unreliable informants and was not infallible.\"[27]The reason for questioning the historical accuracy of such ancient writers as Herodotus is that he is one of the primary sources of knowledge for this time period, and it has been frequently assumed that his account may be more accurate than Esther\'s account.Historical reading[edit]This articleneeds additional citations forverification.Please helpimprove this articlebyadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(March 2013)(Learn how and when to remove this template message)The Feast of Esther(Feest van Esther, 1625) byJan Lievens, held at theNorth Carolina Museum of Art.Those arguing in favour of an historical reading of Esther most commonly identify Ahasuerus withArtaxerxes II(ruled 405–359BCE), although in the past it was often assumed that he wasXerxes I(ruled 486–465BCE). TheHebrewAhasuerus(ʔaḥašwērōš) is most likely derived fromPersianXšayārša, the origin of theGreekXerxes. The Greek historianHerodotuswrote that Xerxes sought hisharemafter being defeated in theGreco-Persian Wars. He makes no reference to individual members of the harem except for a domineeringQueen consortnamedAmestris, whose father,Otanes, was one of Xerxes\'s generals. (In contrast, the Greek historianCtesiasrefers to a similar father-in-law/general figure named Onaphas.) Amestris has often been identified withVashti, but this identification is problematic, as Amestris remained a powerful figure well into the reign of her son,Artaxerxes I, whereas Vashti is portrayed as dismissed in the early part of Xerxes\'s reign. Alternative attempts have been made to identify her withEsther, although Esther is an orphan whose father was a Jew named Abihail.As for the identity of Mordecai, the similar namesMardukaandMardukuhave been found as the name of officials in the Persian court in over thirty texts from the period of Xerxes I and his fatherDarius I, and may refer to up to four individuals, one of which might after all be Mordecai.The \"Old Greek\" Septuagint version of Esther translates the name Ahasuerus asArtaxerxes,[28]a Greek name derived from thePersianArtaxšaϑra.Josephustoo relates that this was the name by which he was known to the Greeks, and theMidrashictext,Esther Rabbaalso makes the identification.Bar-Hebraeusidentified Ahasuerus explicitly asArtaxerxes II; however, the names are not necessarily equivalent: Hebrew has a form of the nameArtaxerxesdistinct fromAhasuerus, and a direct Greek rendering ofAhasuerusis used by both Josephus and the Septuagint for occurrences of the name outside the Book of Esther. Instead, the Hebrew name Ahasuerus accords with an inscription of the time that notes that Artaxerxes II was named alsoAršu, understood as a shortening ofAḫšiyaršuthe Babylonian rendering of the PersianXšayārša(Xerxes), through which the Hebrewʔaḥašwērōš(Ahasuerus) is derived.[29]Ctesiasrelated that Artaxerxes II was also calledArsicaswhich is understood as a similar shortening with the Persian suffix-kethat is applied to shortened names.Deinonrelated that Artaxerxes II was also calledOarseswhich is also understood to be derived fromXšayārša.[29]Another view attempts to identify him instead withArtaxerxes I(ruled 465–424BCE), whose Babylonian concubine,Kosmartydene, was the mother of his sonDarius II(ruled 424–405BCE). Jewish tradition relates that Esther was the mother of a King Darius and so some try to identify Ahasuerus with Artaxerxes I and Esther with Kosmartydene.Based on the view that the Ahasuerus of theBook of Tobitis identical with that of the Book of Esther, some have also identified him as Nebuchadnezzar\'s allyCyaxares(ruled 625–585BCE). In certain manuscripts of Tobit, the former is calledAchiachar, which, like theGreekCyaxares, is thought to be derived fromPersianHuwaxšaϑra. Depending on the interpretation of Esther 2:5–6, Mordecai or his great-grandfather Kish was carried away in 597BCE. The view that it was Mordecai would be consistent with the identification of Ahasuerus with Cyaxares. Identifications with other Persian monarchs have also been suggested.Jacob Hoschander has argued that evidence of the historicity of Haman and his father Hamedatha is seen inOmanusandAnadatusmentioned byStraboas being honoured with Anahita in the city ofZela. Hoschander argues that these were not deities as Strabo supposed but garbled forms of \"Haman\" and \"Hamedatha\" who were being worshipped as martyrs. The names are indeed unattested in Persian texts as gods, however the Talmud (Sanhedrin61b) andRashiboth record a practice of deifying Haman and Josephus speaks of him being worshipped.[29]Attempts have been made to connect both \"Omanus\" and \"Haman\" with the Zoroastrian termVohu Mana; however this denotes the principle of \"Good Thoughts\" and is not the name of a deity.)Interpretation[edit]Christine Hayescontrasts the Book of Esther withapocalyptic writings, theBook of Danielin particular: both Esther and Daniel depict an existential threat to the Jewish people, but while Daniel commends the Jews to wait faithfully for God to resolve the crisis, in Esther the crisis is resolved entirely through human action and national solidarity. God, in fact, is not mentioned, Esther is portrayed asassimilatedto Persian culture, and Jewish identity in the book is anethnic categoryrather than areligious one.[30]Additions to Esther[edit]An additional six chapters appear interspersed in Esther in theSeptuagint, the Greek translation of the Bible. This was noted byJeromein compiling the LatinVulgate. Additionally, the Greek text contains many small changes in the meaning of the main text. Jerome recognized the former as additions not present in theHebrew Textand placed them at the end of his Latin translation as chapters 10:4–16:24. This placement and numbering system is used in Catholic Bible translations based primarily on the Vulgate, such as theDouay–Rheims Bibleand theKnox Bible. In contrast, the 1979 revision of the Vulgate, theNova Vulgata, incorporates the additions to Esther directly into the narrative itself, as do most modern Catholic English translations based on the original Hebrew and Greek (e.g.,Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition,New American Bible,New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition). The numbering system for the additions differs with each translation. The Nova Vulgata accounts for the additional verses by numbering them as extensions of the verses immediately following or preceding them (e.g., Esther 11:2–12 in the old Vulgate becomes Esther 1:1a–1k in the Nova Vulgata), while the NAB and its successor, the NABRE, assign letters of the alphabet as chapter headings for the additions (e.g., Esther 11:2–12:6 in the Vulgate becomes Esther A:1–17). The RSVCE and the NRSVCE place the additional material into the narrative, but retain the chapter and verse numbering of the old Vulgate.These additions include:[31]an opening prologue that describes a dream had by Mordecaithe contents of the decree against the Jewsprayers for God\'s intervention offered by Mordecai and by Estheran expansion of the scene in which Esther appears before the king, with a mention of God\'s interventiona copy of the decree in favor of the Jewsa passage in which Mordecai interprets his dream (from the prologue) in terms of the events that followeda colophon appended to the end, which reads: In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said he was a priest and Levite, and his son Ptolemy brought the present letter of Purim, saying that it was genuine and that Lysimachus, son of Ptolemy, of the community of Jerusalem, had translated it.By the time Esther was written, the foreign power visible on the horizon as a future threat to Judah was theMacedoniansofAlexander the Great, who defeated the Persian empire about 150 years after the time of the story of Esther; theSeptuagintversion noticeably calls Haman a \"Bougaion\" (βουγαῖον) where the Hebrew text describes him as anAgagite.The canonicity of these Greek additions has been a subject of scholarly disagreement practically since their first appearance in theSeptuagint—Martin Luther, being perhaps the most vocalReformation-era critic of the work, considered even the original Hebrew version to be of very doubtful value.[32]Luther\'s complaints against the book carried past the point of scholarly critique and may reflect Luther\'s antisemitism, which is disputed, such as in the biography of Luther by Derek Wilson, which points out that Luther\'s anger at the Jews was not at their race but at their theology.TheCouncil of Trent, the summation of theRoman CatholicCounter-Reformation, reconfirmed the entire book, both Hebrew text and Greek additions, as canonical. The Book of Esther is used twice in commonly used sections of the CatholicLectionary. In both cases, the text used is not only taken from a Greek addition, the readings also are the prayer ofMordecai, and nothing ofEsther\'s own words is ever used. TheEastern Orthodox Churchuses the Septuagint version of Esther, as it does for all of the Old Testament. The additions are specifically listed in theThirty-Nine Articles, Article VI, of theChurch of England:[33]\"The rest of the Book of Esther\".Modern retelling[edit]There are severalpaintings depicting Esther, including one byMillais.TheItalian RenaissancepoetLucrezia Tornabuonichose Esther as one of biblical figures on which she wrote poetry.[34]In 1689,Jean Baptiste RacinewroteEsther, atragedy, at the request ofLouis XIV\'s wife,Françoise d\'Aubigné, marquise de Maintenon.In 1718,Handelwrote the oratorioEstherbased on Racine\'s play.In 1958, a book entitledBehold Your Queen!was written byGladys Malvernand illustrated by her sister,Corinne Malvern. It was chosen as a selection of the Junior Literary Guild.The play entitledEsther(1960), written by Welsh dramatistSaunders Lewis, is a retelling of the story inWelsh.A movie about the story,Esther and the King.A 1978miniseriesentitledThe Greatest Heroes of the BiblestarredVictoria Principalas Esther,Robert Mandanas Xerxes, andMichael Ansaraas Haman.Episode 25 of the 1981animeseriesSuperbookinvolves this story.The 1983musicalentitledSwan Estherwas written byJ. Edward OliverandNick Munnsand released as a concept album withStephanie LawrenceandDenis Quilley.Swan Estherhas been performed by theYoung Vic, a national tour produced byBill Kenwrightand some amateur groups.A 1986 Israeli film directed byAmos GitaientitledEsther.In 1992, a 30-minute, fully animated video, twelfth inHanna-Barbera\'sThe Greatest Adventureseries, titledQueen Estherfeatures the voices ofHelen Slateras Queen Esther,Dean Jonesas King Ahasuerus,Werner Klempereras Haman, andRon Rifkinas Mordecai.[35][36]A 1999 TV movie from theBible Collectionthat follows the biblical account very closely,Esther, starredLouise Lombardin the title role andF. Murray Abrahamas Mordecai.[37]In2000,VeggieTalesreleased \"Esther... The Girl Who Became Queen\".Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Estherby Ginger Garrett. 2005, NavPress.[importance?]A2006movieabout Esther and Ahasuerus, entitledOne Night with the King, starsTiffany DupontandLuke Goss. It was based on the novelHadassah: One Night with the KingbyTommy TenneyandMark Andrew Olsen.Esther is one of the five heroines of theOrder of the Eastern Star.On March 8, 2011, theMaccabeatsreleased a music video called \"Purim Song\".[38]The Book of Estheris a 2013 movie starringJen Lilleyas Queen Esther and Joel Smallbone as King Xerxes.[39]In 2012, a graphic adaptation of the Book of Esther was illustrated by J. T. Waldman and appeared in volume one ofThe Graphic Canon, edited byRuss Kickand published bySeven Stories Press.