Golem (book)
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Golem (ISBN 0-395-7618-2) is a 1996 picture book. David Wisniewski was the author and illustrator of this tale, made out of cut-paper images. It is Wisiniewski's retelling of the Jewish folktale of the Golem, with real people, real places, and a lengthy one-page background at the end. The story is set in year 1580 in Prague, and the Jews are being persecuted. Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the town rabbi, can think of no more than create a being out of mud, using the holy name of God, to protect them. Once the Golem stops the persecution, Rabbi Loew erases the letters on the Golem's head, making the Golem "sleep the dreamless sleep of clay". The ending is ambigurous, ending with the words "But many say he could awaken. Perhaps when the desperate need for justice is united with holy purpose, Golem will come to lige once more."
This retelling is one of the only retellings in whch the Golem has a name; it is Joseph.
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