While the 17th-century Dutch painter’s portrayals of Jews—both contemporary and biblical—are well known, J.R.R. Tolkien never made explicit the Jewish presence in his fiction. Once, however, he did comment that the dwarves of his novels were modeled after the Jews. Meir Soloveichik, discussing the two artists, argues that Rembrandt attempted to “depict the humanity of Jews and the Jewishness of biblical scenes,” while Tolkien was interested in the “miraculous nature of the Jewish people”—and that Jews can learn from both. (Interview by Eric Cohen. Audio, 52 minutes.)
Read more on Tikvah: http://tikvahfund.org/library/podcast-meir-soloveichik-on-rembrandt-tolkien-and-the-jews