Comments (0)Anne Frank’s Celebrity Photos Restored
September 3, 2008Jerusalem
JTA Wire Service
Photos that Anne Frank pasted on the wall of her room in the hidden attic have been restored. It took a decade to restore the at least 60-year-old photographs of celebrities, most clipped from a Dutch women’s magazine, The Associated Press reported. Copies have been hanging in their place. The images include Greta Garbo, the Lane Sisters. Sonja Henie and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth. The restored photographs are now hanging behind climate-controlled glass.
Canadian Election Falls on Sukkot
The date widely being touted for the next federal election in Canada falls on Sukkot. In a message to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Canadian Jewish Congress has cautioned that the date, Oct. 14, would hamper Jews’ ability to vote. “This is the first day of the major Jewish festival of Sukkot, an important holy day on our community’s calendar,” said a letter sent last week from the CJC’s chief executive officer, Bernie Farber. “An election on that day would have a very adverse impact on the Jewish electorate, as well as scrutineers, drivers, other campaign and Elections Canada volunteers.” A senior government official speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper conceded that Oct. 14 “does present challenges in terms of election timing.” But he told the Globe and Mail newspaper that there were opportunities to vote through advance polling—by mail or at designated sites, or by visiting a returning office, which runs elections in Canada. Faced with a similar problem last year, the premier of the Canadian province of Ontario moved the date of the provincial election by six days to avoid coinciding with Shemini Atzeret. Farber stressed that the CJC’s request to avoid an Oct. 14 Election Day was “respectful—no warnings, no threats.”
Szyk Works Go on Exhibit in Germany
Germany is featuring the works of Jewish artist Arthur Szyk, who used his paintbrush as a weapon against Nazi fascism. “Arthur Szyk –Drawing against National Socialism and Terror” opened Thursday at the German Historical Museum. Some 200 works are on display, including merciless caricatures of Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito. The artist’s “motto was action, not pity,” said his daughter, Alexandra Bracie, 85, who came to the opening from her home in Florida. Her father, who died in 1951, “didn’t want people to say, ‘Those poor Jews,’” said Bracie, who is visiting Germany for the first time. Szyk’s works were familiar to millions of Americans during the war; GIs reportedly even brought them to the front. Szyk also illustrated fairytales, biblical stories and the famous Hagaddah known by his name. The current exhibit in Germany features works from the collection of Irvin Ungar, director of the California-based Arthur Szyk Society, and Rinjiro Sodei, a Japanese scholar. Born in Poland in 1894, Szyk emigrated to the United States with his family in 1940. Already famous in Europe, he rapidly attained renown in the United States as a political cartoonist, pressing for U.S. support of Europe in its fight against Hitler. Szyk’s works were seen in the pages of such magazines as Colliers, Time and Esquire. After the war, Szyk advocated for Israel’s establishment and against racism in the United States. He died in 1951 at the age of 57. The Berlin exhibit will be open through Jan. 4.
This story reprinted courtesy of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.