This post is from Toronto scribe and artist Laya Crust. Please respond directly to her.
Barry In 2011 I was commissioned to scribe and illustrate a kosher Megillat Esther. Over the course of a year I learned sofrut STAM, scribed a kosher Ha-Melekh megillah and created 32 original illustrations. The illustrations are in 16th-century Persian manuscript style, using historical imagery. There are 16 columns of lettering with an illustration above and below each column. Each illustration refers to the text above or below it. Shalom Sabar, Professor of General and Comparative Folklore at the Hebrew University, remarked that many of the images in the megillah are completely innovative and unique. He was particularly taken with the map of Ahashverosh's empire, the depiction of the Havdalah service in a gazebo, and the representation of Haman's sons depicted as various historical enemies of the Jewish people. The original megillah has been on display at The Kelly Library, St. Michael's College, University of Toronto, and the Reuben and Helene Dennis Museum at the Beth Tzedec Synagogue, Toronto, Canada. A facsimile copy was exhibited at the Wolfson Museum, Heikhal Shlomo, Jerusalem. It will also be displayed as part of the exhibition: "As it is Written: Judaic Treasures from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library," Jan 26-April 30, 2015, curated by Barry Dov Walfish. The megillah was printed by the giclee process in Jerusalem. Copies are owned by Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Toronto, Canada; The Reuben and Helene Dennis Museum, Toronto, Canada; and The Wolfson Museum at Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem. The facsimile giclee print comes signed and numbered. This kosher megillah is unique not only in its artistry but also because it was scribed and illluminated on parchment by an observant Jewish woman. Images from the megillah can be seen on the website: http://layacrust.com/html/scroll.html. If you are interested in obtaining a copy for your library/institution, please contact Laya Crust at: [email protected]. Barry Dov Walfish, Ph.D. Judaica Specialist University of Toronto Libraries Toronto, ON M5S 1A5 Canada
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