Growing up in Queens has led me to many
wonderful friends and experiences. This past
extended weekend was one of them which was an
outgrowth of a friendship that has lasted more
than four decades.
Mark Podwal grew up in Queens – in Electchester.
We were fraternity brothers in college – Queens
College – where we wrote skits together with
some very other talented Queens guys for an
annual competition which we always won. (If any
of them are reading, please email me at the
address below). On two years, we included a
brief cartoon – one of them in 3D – which Mark
drew, as part of our presentation.
We worked on New York Moratorium – the anti war
movement together. Mark drew, I wrote.
Mark became a doctor – a dermatologist – I began
teaching and as a sideline a partner in an art
gallery. We began to sell Mark’s work then
publish his serigraphs and lithographs. Mark
grew.
Over the years Mark has published more than a
dozen creative art books, has drawn op-ed
cartoons for the NY Times and through his
artwork, always has a story to tell.
If you had to identify his niche, Jewish legend,
history and tradition is where he has achieved
the greatest success. In addition to his own
books, he has illustrated dozens of others
including including five by Nobel Laureate Elie
Wiesel. He became an established artist with
shows in New York, Jerusalem, Prague and
elsewhere – I’ve attended several of the local
ones.
His works are represented in the collections of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), The
Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Carnegie
Museum of Art (Pittsburgh), the Fogg Art Museum
(Harvard University, Cambridge, MA), The Library
of Congress (Washington, DC), the New Orleans
Museum of Art, The Museum of the City of New
York, The National Gallery in Prague, and
Princeton University.
Mark designed the tapestry which adorns the arc
at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan. The
Metropolitan Museum of Art has reproduced his
works on three ceramic plates. He was the
illustrator and creative consultant for the PBS
television video A Passover Seder Presented by
Elie Wiesel and created the cover painting for
Itzhak Perlman’s cd recording, Live in the
Fiddler’s House
Mark has always drawn with a message. Whether
his first book “Decline and Fall of the American
Empire” a collection of peace (anti-war)
drawings, his medical and scientific knowledge
portrayed in his early “Freud’s DaVinci” or any
of the the Jewish books he’s had published, the
meaning is much deeper than the art itself.
Mark is one of those rare people whose talent
never seeks to amaze. His brilliance and gifts
have been responsible for an endless string of
creative work over the four decades we’ve been
friends.
That’s why I wasn’t surprised when he called me
several weeks ago and said, “the American
premiere of my movie is at the Hamptons Film
Festival; come see it.”
“House of Life: The Old Jewish Cemetery in
Prague” is a documentary written by Mark which
he co-produced with the film’s director, Academy
Award winner Alan Miller.
The solemn yet joyous documentary tells the
story of the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the
site of layer upon layer of buried members of
the once-vibrant Jewish community of the Ghetto.
“House of Life” chronicles its history, rich in
lore, mysticism, tradition and philosophy that
attracts two thirds of a million visitors
annually. Tales of great rabbis and
philanthropists and the story of the giant golem
created from clay to protect the Jewish people –
the subject of one of Mark’s books — are
narrated by Claire Bloom.
The 12,000 stones on the surface of The Old
Jewish Cemetery may be covering as many as
100,000 members of Prague’s historic Jewish
community. Under the German occupation in World
War II, the cemetery was the only place where
Jewish children were allowed to play. Later,
under the communists, lovers met there for
trysts.
The cemetery, as does the film, serves as a
reminder of the indomitable spirit of a people
compelled to honor their past and preserve the
lessons of history.
After the premiere, as with most the films at
the Hamptons Film Festival, the filmmakers took
questions and discussed their work. Then with a
dozen old friends and family we broke bread and
toasted Mark Podwal, a Queens story with deep
meaning and a message.
L’chaim!
