My Story Happens in Music – A commission for a cantor

Last night I got to celebrate my buddy Yonah's 45th birthday, and make a special presentation on behalf of his wife Sydnie. Yonah and I have been friends since junior high, so when Sydnie commissioned me earlier this year to make a new papercut to mark his birthday, I was pleased and honored to accept.

This papercut is called “My Story Happens in Music”and it measures 24" x 18". Yonah lives his life at the center of his family and community, and has literally done so at Dodger Stadium when singing the National Anthem — and so this papercut’s structure is based on Dodger Stadium, and includes elements from Yonah’s life, all taken from comic books. He is a cantor and singer and a father and a husband and a friend... and I tried to represent all of this in the papercut.

The title comes from a bit of text taken from a Daredevil story; as well, the papercut features cheering crowds and engaged congregations; it includes the characters Black Bolt (known for having the most powerful voice in the universe), Dazzler (who transforms music into powerful beams of light), and Ragman (one of the first openly Jewish super heroes). Obvious and subtle references abound, alluding to music and spirituality, family and community, humor and joy. There’s a dove, in reference to the Hebrew meaning of “Yonah”; soccer, a sport close to Yonah’s heart, which he shares with his children... and more than a few inside jokes between Yonah and the artist, whose friendship dates back to junior high school.

And of course, multiple references to the home and family that Yonah and Sydnie have made — the “4” from the Fantastic Four uniform, and a quote from the 45th anniversary issue of their comic... spoken by a certain postman... and comics from each of their birth years. The sheet music at the center is an interpretation of the book of Psalms, from A. Z. Idelsohn’s 1967 book, Jewish Music in its Historical Development. A listing of the comics used in the making of this papercut is on the back of the papercut, and includes:

• Action Comics #903 (Sep 2011)
• Astonishing X-Men #26 (Oct 2008)
• Automatic Kafka #4 (Dec 2002)
• Billy the Kid #88 (Dec 1971) — Yonah’s birth year
• Bullseye: Perfect Game #2 (Feb 2011)
• Daredevil #51 (Nov 2003)
• Dazzler #4 (Jun 1981), #38 (Jul 1985), #41 (Jan 1986)
• Fallen Angels #1 (Apr 1987)
• Fantastic Four #59 (Feb 1967), #273 (Dec 1984), #543 (Jun 2007) — 45th anniversary issue
• Green Lantern: Fear Itself #1 (Apr 2011)
• Gwenpool Special #1 (Feb 2016)
• Justice League #33 (Oct 2014)
• Justice Society of America #11 (Feb 2008)
• The Legion of Super-Heroes #300 (Jun 1983)
• Los Angeles Dodgers: The Legend of the Blue Knight #1 (Apr 1997)
• Mutopia X #3 (Nov 2005) — daughter’s birth year
• Nevada #1 (May 1998)
• Ragman #3 (Dec 1991), #5 (Feb 1992)
• The Ringo Kid #5 (Sep 1970) — Sydnie’s birth year
• Shadowpact #6 (Dec 2006)
• Stadium Comics: The All-Star Story of the Dodgers #1 (Apr 1979)
• Superman #205 (Jul 2004)
• Superman/Batman #44 (Feb 2008) — son’s birth year
• Thor #394 (Aug 1988)
• Ultimate Fantastic Four #4 (May 2004)

Walking Together: The Lutz-Goldin Ketubah

The complete, finished ketubah (36" x 36")

This weekend my wife and I attended the wedding of Adam Lutz and Emma Goldin — friends of ours whose ketubah I created — at Temple Emanu-el in San Francisco, officiated by the groom's father, Rabbi Barry Lutz. It's always a privilege and a pleasure to be involved in a simcha, especially for such a cute couple!

I titled their ketubah "Walking Together," and it tells the story of their courtship, incorporating cut-up comics, maps, and other ephemera to reflect their unique story and the love they have for each other. Adam and Emma wrote the text of the ketubah, which is surrounded by the words of Hosea 2:21–22 (of special significance to the couple).

Signing the ketubah

Adam and Emma fell in love in Israel during their first year as students at Hebrew Union College, so their ketubah takes the form of a map of Jerusalem, where they were living at the time. Their dates were walks through the city, particularly before Shabbat, going from Emma’s apartment near Damascus Gate to Machane Yehuda — and the structure of the piece mirrors these special moments, encouraging the eye to travel along the paper paths and take in the scenery.

After cutting the top layer I was almost tempted to stop and call it perfect already...

There are pieces of a 1996 National Geographic map of Jerusalem showing the western side of the city and the paths that lead to Hebrew Union College, and a comic book snippet of golden apples alluding to the food stalls at Machane Yehuda (an appreciation for fine food being a shared trait of the bride and groom as well).

Adam and Emma continued walking after they moved to New York, and their ketubah includes part of an antique map of the island as well as comic pieces showing elements of the familiar skyline. As their wedding was celebrated at Temple Emanu-El, in addition to the Golden Gate Bridge and other architectural elements from the city there is also part of a vintage De Beers Diamonds advertisement from 1945 featuring the synagogue.

The speech bubbles are from an X-Men comic; the image of Temple Emanu-El from a vintage De Beers ad.

Adam’s name is represented by Adam Strange, a DC hero known for being a passionate and faithful husband, and Emma’s by Emma Frost, a Marvel hero who is also a passionate and loving partner. Emma says that if Adam had super powers he would be most like Professor X of the X-Men, because of his intelligence, and so he is also included in the ketubah — and so is Mister Terrific, known as one of the smartest heroes in the world.

Professor X is a stand-in for Adam, passionately calling out to his bride.

Emma calls to her love just as passionately.

Adam says that Emma’s beautiful voice might have its parallel in the powers of Black Canary, Dazzler and Siryn, who use their voices to fight for right. Adam’s Hebrew name, Ze’ev, is alluded to by the presence of a hero named Jack Russell who takes the form of a werewolf (and was raised in the greater Los Angeles area), while Emma’s Hebrew name, Devorah, is alluded to in the black-and-yellow honeybee-like costume of Siryn. There’s even a panel in which Adam Strange meets Black Canary, from a 1975 issue of Justice League of America in which Adam (finally) gets married.

I bought a 1975 issue of Justice League of America because it featured Adam's wedding,
but it also had this surprisingly perfect panel I decided to incorporate.

There are numerous wedding details in the ketubah, including rings and declarations of love, and white roses as well, which Emma will carry on her wedding day. The observant viewer will also find references to the glass they broke under the hupah, and the wine that they shared there. And of course, a few pieces of their wedding invitation.

The background comics include:

• Action Comics #233 (November 2013)
• Adam Strange #1 (November 2004), #2 (December 2004)
• Astonishing X-Men #10 (May 2005), #14 (June 2006), #27 (November 2008), #36 (April 2011), #51 (August 2012) – rings and white roses, #62 (July 2013)
• Batman: The Dark Knight #4 (February 2012)
• Birds of Prey #16 (March 2013)
• Captain Atom #3 (January 2012)
• Daredevil #1 (May 2014) – New York skyline
• Dazzler #2 (April 1981)
• Dream Logic #4 (October 2011)
• Giant-Size Kung Fu Bible Stories #1 (July 2014)
• Giant-Size X-Men #3 (2005)
• Green Arrow #30 (April 2010) – Sing, Canary, Sing!
• Infinite Vacation #5 (January 2013)
• Justice League #33 (October 2014), #34 (December 2014)
• Justice League of America #121 (August 1975) – Adam’s wedding
• Max Ride #4 (June 2015)
• Mister Terrific #2 (December 2011) – Golden Gate Bridge
• ODY-C #1 (November 2014)
• Revival #16 (December 2013)
• Strange Adventures #1 (May 2009), #2 (June 2009)
• Superman #226 (April 2006), #23.3 (November 2013)
• Wolverine: Xisle #1 (June 2003)
• X-Factor #244 (November 2012)
• X-Force #16 (November 1992) – Siryn

"MaAriv Aravim" print in online auction raising money for Brandeis Hillel Day School

A giclée print of "MaAriv Aravim," one of the sixteen papercuts in my "Paper Tefillah" series, is now available in an online auction supporting the Brandeis Hillel Day School in San Rafael, California. Proceeds from the auction will directly benefit academic programming and faculty support at the school.

To place a bid, visit Bidding for Good.

"MaAriv Aravim" is the nighttime prayer that praises God for bringing on the evening, for ordering the stars and the planets, for the cycle of the seasons and the immutable processes of the universe. We praise God for keeping the heavenly bodies spinning in their orbits, and the papercut is designed to reflect these orbits. At the center is a hamsa, an ancient symbol of heavenly protection, with a mystical eye in the center backed with words from the prayer itself.

The hamsa can be seen as a representation of the hand of God, rolling light into darkness and darkness into light. The piece is composed of various space-related and dark-toned comics, to convey a sense of the evening. One of the main comic book heroes used in the background is Cloak, who harnesses the power of darkness to fight evil alongside his partner Dagger. The piece also features some comic captions which are recontextualized to explore God’s role and presence in the universe.