Today marks the Jewish festival of Simhat Torah celebrating the completion of the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings in the synagogue.
In this etching by Joseph Budko (1888-1940), which accompanies Nadel’s (1878-1943) poem, “Simchath-Thora”, two men participate in a traditional procession of Torah scrolls.
Spare and elegant, Budko and Nadel’s volume of twelve poems and etchings features a woodcut by Budko on the frontispiece and subtle decorative details including textured paper, deckle page edges, and embossed frames surrounding its tipped-in etchings. Though subtly detailed, the etchings are actually rather small-- they measure just 2.5 inches square.
Das Jahr des Juden (Berlin: Verlag für jüdische Kunst und Kultur Fritz Gurlitt, 1920). From the I. Edward Kiev Judaica Collection.
