Purim - Stained Glass Window

This large window is installed in a synagogue in Israel.  It's part of a set (currently 12 windows and more to come).  The set depicts the Jewish holidays. Purim falls in mid-Spring (our next holiday, which is why I selected it for show here) and celbrates salvation of the Jews in Persia in ancient times. 

There are many interpretations of the Purim story - some claim is is extraordinarily similar to a much earlier, pagen story and rite (which would mean that it was "borrowed", something that happened in many of today's religions as people transitioned from the older beliefs to the more modern ones) and some claim that this is a historical record of an actual event.  In any case, it is joyfully celebrated in Israel with costumes, parties and lots of good things to eat.  Queen Ester's heroic tale is read publicly - with a lot of noise and games - in the synagogues to ensure it will be passed on to the next generation.

The elements include wine, special holiday cookies, traditional rattles (blue and green in the lower right corner) and the scroll with Ester's story.  I painted a line from the story and added decorative elements in gold, then fused the glaze into the glass before creating the window. 

Obviously, this window is not for sale.  It was a special commission and is already installed.