The classic Szyk haggadah becomes a modern masterpiece of the digital age

By Tom Tugend
Published on April 17, 2008

There's a 1,000-year-old haggadah, there's an Internet haggadah, and now there is a new $15,000 Arthur Szyk Haggadah.

Books: Czech teen’s words and art put a face on the Holocaust for me

By Daniel A. Olivas
Published on June 7, 2007

Ginz was a Czech Jew, born in 1928, who died in a gas chamber in Auschwitz at the age of 16. His diary had been lost for 60 years but resurfaced in 2003.

Books: Shmegegis of old, shmegegis of gold

By Hank Rosenfeld
Published on December 14, 2006

Who doesn't love old Jewish comedians? Those mamzers of mirth and halutzim of humor who paved the road from the Catskills to Vegas as first-generation entertainers.

Sondheim Knows How to Book ‘Em

By Robert David Jaffee
Published on February 16, 2006

Harry Sondheim, a retired criminal prosecutor for the L.A. County D.A.'s office, was traveling in Holland when he simply noticed an artifact that appealed to him. "They had a museum, Der Weg, which means the Weighing House. They had an artist named Bicart. I bought some postcards with depictions of Jewish ceremonies on them. You can't buy those postcards any longer."

Shoah-Era Opera an Allegory of Victory

By Gaby Wenig
Published on December 4, 2003

Today, "Brundibar" is experiencing a revival of sorts. It is the title and story of a new children's book written by Tony Kushner, with illustrations by Maurice Sendak (Hyperion Books for Children), and this weekend, the Jewish Community Foundation and the Dwight Stuart Youth Foundation sponsored Youth Opera Camp of Santa Monica College Conservatory will be performing the opera at the Miles Memorial Playhouse and Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Arafat,the Anti-Icon

By Josh Mitnick
Published on September 4, 2003

Leaders of the world have called him irrelevant, and indeed he has been largely replaced in world affairs.

A Children’s Book That’s Infectious

By Michael Aushenker
Published on May 23, 2002

"Barn Sneeze," which chronicles the journey of a sneeze that affects poultry and porcine alike, is sure to prove contagious among tots as well. The book benefits from Winnick's loose pastel-and-charcoal illustrations, which echo her all-time favorite work of children's literature "Charlotte's Web."

Winnick, the wife of philanthropist and Global Crossing CEO Gary Winnick, has been writing and drawing children's books since her single days. She studied under revered illustrator Milton Glaser at the School of Visual Arts. Over the years, she has actively kept in touch with her inner writer by refreshing her skills through UCLA Extension classes. As creative people know, the ability to express one's soul, not formal technical ability, is what separates artist from artisan.