Update: Hanukkah Illuminated: A Book of Days is now permanently at The National Library of Israel.

HANUKKAH ILLUMINATED

A BOOK OF DAYS

Ellen Frank’s Hanukkah Illuminated: A Book of Days is the first modern illuminated and handwritten story of Hanukkah. A devotional work of art that combines illuminated paintings with unique texts, Hanukkah Illuminated speaks in a contemporary voice while echoing the great illuminated paintings which flourished in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Hanukkah Illuminated: A Book of Days presents in English the vibrant tradition of Hebrew illumination for an audience of all ages and all faiths. The story by Everett Fox (author of The Schocken Bible and Special Consultant to The Prince of Egypt) and the illuminated art progress from darkness to light as Hanukkah Illuminated celebrates the richness of the holiday and its symbols. An ancient story of the search for redemption, Hanukkah Illuminated unites historic Israel’s experience of natural and cultural worlds in its search for redemption. Hanukkah Illuminated culminates in a vision of harmony and peace, in which the world is infused with transcendent light.

Upon completion, Hanukkah Illuminated: A Book of Days will include thirty-eight 17 x 23-inch original individual gold-illuminated paintings on classic manuscript vellum with Master Calligraphy by Karen Gorst. The text for each of Hanukkah’s eight nights will present biblical verse about light as it expresses in art and calligraphy the dual realms of nature and culture.

The Hanukkah Illuminated project is a project in three phases: the current and first phase is the creation of the original illuminated manuscript, Hanukkah Illuminated: A Book of Days; the second is the publication of a facsimile edition of Hanukkah Illuminated for collectors and institutions worldwide; third, is an international traveling exhibition entitled “Illuminating Hanukkah: Museum as Temple,” accompanied by a catalog, guest lectures, and workshops.