Illustrations for the book:

“While they were walking” by Yonadav Kaploun

With While They Were Walking, my intention was not to illustrate or depict the stories directly, but rather to create an emotional and symbolic presence in the spaces between the words—evoking the atmosphere and experience of the tales. The visual world I built draws inspiration from the tradition of illuminated manuscripts, particularly their medieval visual language and stylized forms, combined with the bold graphic qualities and textured surfaces of woodcut prints. These historical references are reinterpreted through a contemporary lens, in a visual dialogue with the author’s reflections, which bring a contemporary perspective to the canonical texts.

The imagery is intentionally symbolic, resisting fixed or singular interpretations. The images evoke and withhold at once, allowing familiar forms to retain their mystery and ambiguity. In this way, the illustrations echo the enigmatic character of the Zohar’s tales, bringing together the visual language of medieval manuscript traditions and a contemporary sensibility.

 


About the book:

While They Were Walking — a first of its kind literary anthology. Excerpts from the Zohar stories are rendered in free translation from Aramaic, with light adaptations, and accompanied by the poetic and contemporary reflections of Yondav Kaploun.

Yondav Kaploun is a poet and educator, and a two-time recipient of the Prime Minister’s Prize for Hebrew Poetry, among other awards.