Rembrandt Was Obsessed with Queen Esther

Last weekend, I went to a symposium honoring the late Jewish artist Mark Podwal. In addition to being an acclaimed artist—you might recognize his Met Opera posters or synagogue work—he was also a practicing dermatologist. And when he was a guest on my podcast Unorthodox a few years back, we played Jewish geography and realized we had a mutual friend: my primary-care physician, Dr. Cohen. 

The event was put on by the Harry G. Friedman Society, a group of Jewish art collectors, scholars, and enthusiasts who meet regularly to celebrate Jewish visual art and material culture. I wasn’t familiar with the group, but this event was open to non-members, and the Podwal family invited me to attend. One of the speakers described Podwal’s ability to balance various dualities in his work: Jewish tragedy with religious strength, and the symbolic with the particular. 

I thought about that idea of balancing the symbolic with the particular yesterday as I walked through the new exhibit at The Jewish Museum in New York City. 

“The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt” highlights the unexpected—and utterly fascinating—embrace of the biblical figure of Esther in 17th-century Dutch society. Abigail Rapoport, curator of Judaica at The Jewish Museum and one of the exhibit’s curators, walked me through and patiently answered all my questions, which you can read below.

You’ll also find a few of my favorite picks from the Jewish Museum Shop, including some great Passover items.

I’ll be back at The Jewish Museum on Monday, March 31, at 7 p.m. moderating a conversation between authors Tova Mirvis and Dan Slater. It’s part of the Unpacking The Book series that I host with the Jewish Book Council and The Jewish Museum. GOLDA is the media sponsor this season, and I would love to see you there! Tickets are free; register here. 

Now let’s get artsy.

Why was a 17th-century Dutch painter depicting our Purim pals Queen Esther and Ahasuerus? It’s quite a story....

“What's really interesting about the 17th-century Netherlands is that you have the Dutch, who have just fought off the Spanish monarchy in this 80-year battle,” curator Abigail Rapoport explains. “And they've found in Queen Esther a courageous model for their own battle. She becomes almost this civic emblem, and a star in the art and culture of Rembrandt's time. Amsterdam was even considered a ‘new Jerusalem.’” 

Rembrandt and his contemporaries and disciples depicted Esther in their work, and depicted their own queens and noblewomen as Esther. Seriously! 

Meanwhile, Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities that had been expelled during the Inquisition were immigrating to the Netherlands, where among other new liberties they were able to freely celebrate Purim. This led to the creation of elaborate scrolls of the Book of Esther, all in the artistic style of the age and employing the technological innovations of the time. 

Esther was having a moment. For Sephardic Jews she was a potent symbol, and for Dutch Protestants she became a modern Dutch woman. 

It’s a wild exhibit, and it’s definitely worth a visit. The rooms were crowded with visitors when I was there, and Abigail flitted excitedly from artifact to artifact, explaining which items came from the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, where they were still in use. Others were on loan from art museums around the world. This exhibit marks the first time a Rembrandt painting is on view at The Jewish Museum.

Abigail has long wanted to spotlight the convergence of mainstream art and Jewish ritual design. “When I first encountered art history, I would see Carvaggio paintings, and then would notice in Judaica—or what I like to call Jewish ceremonial art—of that time period a similar Baroque inspiration,” she said. “But Judaica was always absent from my textbooks. 

“That's why this exhibition is such a dream for me,” she continued, “because we can hopefully share with the world that pieces of Jewish ceremonial art are not created in a vacuum, that they're very much products of their time and place.”  

I asked Abigail what she hopes visitors take away from the exhibit, which was in the works for five years. 

“I think one thing is the ability to unite differences, which might seem super optimistic, but we see the kind of commonalities that existed and still exist,” she said. “Seeing Queen Esther invoked today shows that there is something there that unites humanity. And maybe that's the sheer, raw resilience of Queen Esther and what she did.

“The more academic takeaway is the idea of Jewish sacred art being part of the wider art context, and historical Jewish communities not being isolated, but contributing to culture.

“The Book of Esther in the Age of Rembrandt” will be on view at The Jewish Museum through August. It will travel to The North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, and a condensed version will be shown at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.

GOLDA’s Jewish Museum Shop picks:

After seeing the exhibit, I knew I had to stop into the Jewish Museum Shop. 

I’ve written before about the Shop, which is one of very few places that confidently carries both your sophisticated and beautiful Jewish objects (Seder plates, menorahs, mezuzahs, even ketubahs) and the kitschier items we all love (“In Your Balaboosta Era” greeting cards, etc). They also have an excellent book selection and lots of stuff for kids. It’s the perfect mix of the high and low that embodies the GOLDA sensibility. 

Stacey Zaleski, the director of retail, kindly toured me around the Shop and opened up every single drawer for me to peer into. Kid, meet candy shop.

Here are some of my favorite new finds:

Jewish Museum "Horowitz Margareten Matzohs" Wood Tray

Hand-painted Porcelain Seder Plate by SIND Studio, Exclusive to the Jewish Museum Shop

PEZuzah Mezuzah: Muppets Rare Kermit

14kt Gold Plated Fava Bean Earrings by Lisa Motro

Challah Bread Plush

Vintage Days of the Week Mugs: Set of 8

Tree of Life Crystal Grid by Ariana Ost

Happy shopping! 

I’ll be at the AWP Conference in Los Angeles this coming week, moderating a panel on “Writing Jewishly.” If you’re attending the conference, come say hi! Everyone else, reply and let me know your Jewish L.A. recs. 

Also, on Saturday, April 5, I’ll be part of Zibby Media’s On Being Jewish Now: Live event at The Whitby Hotel in New York City. I’m excited to be moderating a panel of fabulous Jewish ladies. Get your ticket here.

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Stay GOLDA,

Stephanie