The Rabbi and the Painter by Shoshana Weiss

Based on stories handed down from the past, The Rabbi and the Painter by Shoshana Weiss and illlustrated by Jennifer Kirkham (9/21/21; ISBN: 978-0-9988527-8-2; Hardcover $19.99; Ages 6-11; 32 pages) tells of the unique relationship between the sixteenth-century Venetian painter Tintoretto and Rabbi Leon of Modena, also known as Rabbi Judah Aryeh. Tintoretto breaks all the artistic rules of the Renaissance with his mannerist painting style while Modena’s interests extended far beyond the typical confines of the ghetto’s synagogue life to the secular world around him. In The Rabbi and the Painter we are transported to a place where cultures mixed to create a breathtaking masterpiece.

Jennifer Kirkham’s colorful illustrations bring Renaissance Venice to life. At the same time, the expressive texture evokes those brush strokes of Tintoretto’s own masterpieces.