Rabbi Irvin Ungar's Memoir Revives Polish Artist Arthur Szyk's Anti-Nazi Legacy

Irvin Ungar, a former rabbi turned antiquarian book dealer, has dedicated forty years to resurrecting the career of Arthur Szyk, a Polish émigré illustrator and caricaturist known for his anti-Nazi work during World War II. Ungar's memoir, 'Reviving the Artist Who Fought Hitler: My Life With Arthur Szyk,' launches on May 14 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. The book recounts Ungar's journey from leaving his congregation in Queens to founding the Arthur Szyk Society, publishing monographs, and curating exhibitions. Szyk, who died in 1951, was virtually forgotten until Ungar's efforts. Ungar describes Szyk as a 'genius' and a 'role model' whose art reflects his own Jewish values and advocacy for humanity. Szyk's work appeared in Collier's, Esquire, and Time, and he engaged in a 'one-man war' against Hitler, also supporting Chinese, Czech, Polish, British, Australian, and New Zealand causes, and highlighting racism against Native Americans and African Americans. Ungar maintains an image database and a website to promote Szyk's legacy. The exhibition 'The Art of Freedom' is currently on view at the Museum of Jewish Heritage until July 26.