Objects

One of two versions of a drawing depicting the symbolic figure of a dybbuk – the soul of a Jewish boy who died in the ghetto – taking up residence in the body of a living man. This is an illustration for the story described in Hanna Krall's book "Dowody na istnienie" (Kraków 1995), about a young American named Adam S. who carries within him the soul of his stepbrother, who died during the war. The motif of the dybbuk, as mentioned by Krall, originates from Jewish tradition (Hebrew: dybbuk – adhere) and has been drawn from Kabbalistic literature. It is a soul that, after death, finds a place within the body of a living person, often a close relative. The spirit incarnates in another person because it desires to purify itself or to demand compensation for wrongs suffered during its lifetime. "Adam S. realised quite early on that he was not alone. [...] From time to time, this subtenant would say something. Adam S. did not know what because the dybbuk spoke Polish. [...] He lived like any normal, educated American, except it was a double life. His own and that of his younger brother, named Abram, who 'somehow got lost in the ghetto' when he was six years old." MBK