Born in Poland in 1894, and immigrating to the U.S. in 1940, Artur Szyk was a talented and versatile artist whose work appeared in the New York Post and on the covers of both Time and the Manhattan phonebook—among many other publications. He was a lifelong Zionist and a committed patriot of both his native and adopted countries. J. Hoberman reviews an exhibit of his work currently on display at the New-York Historical Society, which he calls “a jewel box overflowing with concentrated gem-like images of Jewish heroes and Nazi monsters.” (The exhibit runs until January 21, 2018.)

Most of Szyk’s images were made for reproduction in books, magazines, and newspapers. To see the originals, many of which are surprisingly small opaque watercolors (or gouaches), is to be dazzled by the painter’s technique and the fact that he evidently worked without a magnifying glass.

Szyk is a singular figure in 20th-century art—at once a remarkable craftsman, a political activist, a successful commercial artist, a ferocious cartoonist, and the inventor of a style closer to medieval illuminated manuscripts than any sort of contemporary expression. He was also an unabashed propagandist with a taste for patriotic pomp and sturdy Muskeljuden [“muscular Jews”]. . . .

Although he is best known now for his illuminated Haggadah, produced during the late 1930s, Szyk was even more celebrated during the period of World War II. Then, close to ubiquitous, with his work regularly featured in national magazines, he was America’s most dogged, and perhaps most prominent, anti-fascist artist. . . . A close friend of Ze’ev Jabotinsky, providing illustrations for his novel Samson the Nazirite, [Szyk] was a fervent supporter of Franklin Roosevelt as well as an advocate for Jabotinsky’s [acolyte], Peter Bergson. . . .

Where the irrepressible [Marc] Chagall created a wildly successful synthesis of expressionism, fauvism, cubism, and invented folk art, Szyk’s images, some taken from the book of Esther, were precise and self-contained—as decorative, symmetrical, and intricately patterned as Oriental rugs. Although, like Chagall, Szyk would paint Jesus as a symbol of Jewish suffering, he was more traditional and also more political: one of his major works was a triptych of Jewish martyrdom in tsarist Russia, medieval Spain, and Roman-occupied Palestine.

On Monday night, the IDF struck a group of Hamas operatives near the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, the main city in southern Gaza. The very fact of this attack was reassuring, as it suggested that the release of Edan Alexander didn’t come with restraints on Israeli military activity. Then, yesterday afternoon, Israeli jets carried out another, larger attack on Khan Yunis, hitting a site where it believed Mohammad Sinwar, the head of Hamas in Gaza, to be hiding. The IDF has not yet confirmed that he was present. There is some hope that the death of Sinwar—who replaced his older brother Yahya after he was killed last year—could have a debilitating effect on Hamas.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is visiting the Persian Gulf, and it’s unclear how his diplomatic efforts there will affect Israel, its war with Hamas, and Iran. For its part, Jerusalem has committed to resume full-scale operations in Gaza after President Trump returns to the U.S. But, Gabi Simoni and Erez Winner explain, Israel does not have unlimited time to defeat Hamas:

Israel faces persistent security challenges across multiple fronts—Iran, the West Bank, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon—all demanding significant military resources, especially during periods of escalation. . . . Failing to achieve a decisive victory not only prolongs the conflict but also drains national resources and threatens Israel’s ability to obtain its strategic goals.

Only a swift, forceful military campaign can achieve the war’s objectives: securing the hostages’ release, ensuring Israeli citizens’ safety, and preventing future kidnappings. Avoiding such action won’t just prolong the suffering of the hostages and deepen public uncertainty—it will also drain national resources and weaken Israel’s standing in the region and beyond.

We recommend launching an intense military operation in Gaza without delay, with clear, measurable objectives—crippling Hamas’s military and governance capabilities and securing the release of hostages. Such a campaign should combine military pressure with indirect negotiations, maximizing the chances of a successful outcome while minimizing risks.

Crucially, the operation must be closely coordinated with the United States and moderate Arab states to reduce international pressure and preserve the gains of regional alliances.