Seal of the Jewish Publication Society of America

Moses Ezekiel

1913

Drawing of a round seal with lion, lamb, child, snake, and Star of David which reads in English, "Israel's Mission is Peace."

The Jewish Publication Society of America (JPS) was founded in Philadelphia in 1888. (It had a number of precursors that did not last.) Today, JPS is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English still in operation. It is best known for its English translation of the Hebrew Bible (first edition completed in 1917). The seal designed by Moses Ezekiel for JPS features a lion lying down with a lamb, a smiling child with a snake wrapped around his arm, a view of Jerusalem, a star of David framing the Hebrew word for God, “Adonai,” and a motto: “The mission of Israel is peace.”

Credits

Image courtesy of the Library of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 7.

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Creator Bio

Moses Ezekiel

Born in Richmond, Virginia, Moses Ezekiel was a soldier-turned-sculptor whose time in the military influenced many of his works. Ezekiel, who entered the Virginia military in 1862, became known for his Civil War memorials, monuments, and portraits. In addition to his military sculpture, Ezekiel was the first Jewish sculptor in America to make monuments for the Jewish community. Following the end of the Civil War, he studied sculpture in Ohio, but soon moved to Berlin to attend the city’s art academy. While in Berlin, Ezekiel was awarded the prestigious Michel Beer Prix de Rome, which provided the artist a stipend to study in Rome for two years. Finding success and renown in Rome among local and international audiences, Ezekiel spent his career working and traveling between Italy and America.

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