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Golem (book)
Encyclopedia
Golem is a 1996 picture book
written and illustrated by David Wisniewski
. With illustrations made of cut-paper collages, it is Wisniewski's retelling of the Jewish folktale of the Golem
, with real people, real places, and a lengthy one-page background at the end.
The story is set in year 1580 in Prague
, and the Jews are being persecuted. Judah Loew ben Bezalel
, the town rabbi, can think of nothing more than creating a being out of mud and bringing it to life, using the holy name of God
, to protect them. Once the Golem stops the persecution, Rabbi Loew erases the letters on the Golem's head, making the Golem "sleep the dreamless sleep of clay". The ending is ambiguous, ending with the words: "But many say he could awaken. Perhaps when the desperate need for justice is united with holy purpose, Golem will come to life once more."
This retelling is one of the few retellings in which the Golem has a name—it is Joseph.
Picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. The images in picture books use a range of media such as oil paints, acrylics, watercolor and pencil.Two of the earliest books with something like the format picture books still retain now...
written and illustrated by David Wisniewski
David Wisniewski
David Wisniewski , was a children's author and illustrator.He attended the University of Maryland, College Park but quit after one semester to join the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, graduating in 1973...
. With illustrations made of cut-paper collages, it is Wisniewski's retelling of the Jewish folktale of the Golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
, with real people, real places, and a lengthy one-page background at the end.
The story is set in year 1580 in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, and the Jews are being persecuted. Judah Loew ben Bezalel
Judah Loew ben Bezalel
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, alt. Loewe, Löwe, or Levai, widely known to scholars of Judaism as the Maharal of Prague, or simply The MaHaRaL, the Hebrew acronym of "Moreinu ha-Rav Loew," was an important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic, and philosopher who served as a leading rabbi in the city of...
, the town rabbi, can think of nothing more than creating a being out of mud and bringing it to life, using the holy name of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, to protect them. Once the Golem stops the persecution, Rabbi Loew erases the letters on the Golem's head, making the Golem "sleep the dreamless sleep of clay". The ending is ambiguous, ending with the words: "But many say he could awaken. Perhaps when the desperate need for justice is united with holy purpose, Golem will come to life once more."
This retelling is one of the few retellings in which the Golem has a name—it is Joseph.