Venice is the starting point for this imaginative reinterpretation of the biblical Book of Esther as a pack of playing cards.

There are many ways to connect Esther and Venice. The book is the story of Purim, the festival of dressing up and partying,

celebrating the Jews overcoming the threat to their lives. And Venice is the not always serene city associated with carnivals. The

world’s first public casino was established in Venice, patrons had to wear masks, and fortunes could be won or lost in a night. In

the Book of Esther, lots are cast to determine the date of the massacre of the Jews, and reversal of fortunes seem to happen as

if by chance. Esther’s intimate parties echo Venetian salons, where hostesses would entertain while games and politics were

played out. And Jewish life in the Venetian ghetto was often precarious and subject to random events and chance

The 54 cards follow the narrative, each artist was given a suit and section of the text to interpret in their own way, but sharing a

limited colour scheme of black and white with red accents. The cards in this deck are a Book of Esther, just shuffled and with the

words removed. There are main characters, minor characters, and moments, people who don’t know which way is up, figures

that can only be seen from the right angle and personalities that are transformed by the suits they wear. There’s even a character

who is both in the story and also not.

Artists

• Sophie Herxheimer (hearts)
• Mirta Kupferminc (clubs)
• Tilla Crowne (diamonds)
• Jacqueline Nicholls (spades)

Designer

• David Zvi Kalman

Publisher

• Print-O-Craft Press, to order the book and cards please scan

The Deck of Esther is a project of Beit Venezia: A Home for Jewish Culture