Born in the city of Łódź in Russian Poland in 1894, Arthur Szyk would become one of the outstanding Jewish painters and illustrators of the 20th century. Seeing himself as a “fighting artist,” Szyk used his work to call attention to the dangers faced by European Jewry in the 1930s and 40s, the evils of Nazism, and the Zionist struggle for Jewish independence. The Times of London called his lavishly illustrated 1940 Haggadah “among the most beautiful of books that the hand of man has ever produced.” Irvin Ungar discusses Szyk’s life and the meaning of his art. (Video, 68 minutes.)

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.