An oil painting by the Jewish artist Boris Borvin Frenkel (1895-1984) depicts the interior of a synagogue with the aron ha-kodesh Torah ark and probably illustrates the celebration of Simchat Torah (Hebrew for "Joy of Torah"), a celebration that concludes the annual cycle of its reading and initiates the next one. At the bottom of the painting there are two speakers, both wearing dark blue striped tallits, bent over a copy of the Torah, which they hold with both hands. One is the bridegroom of the Torah (Chatan Torah), reading the last verses of Deuteronomy, while the other is the bridegroom of Genesis (Chatan Be-reshit), reading the first verses of the Pentateuch. Next to them stand the boys assisting them. The upper part of the painting shows a matroneum – a babinets (women's gallery), under a semicircular vault supported by pillars. Colourfully dressed women stand on the matroneum, with bright scarves on their heads and books in their hands. To the right, a little girl can be seen leaning with her hands against the balustrade. The entire babinets is illuminated by the semi-circular window above. The interior walls, which form the backdrop to the scene, are emerald green in colour. The author's signature "Borvine Frenkel" has been affixed to the lower left corner, while the reverse of the work bears a dry brush inscription: "332 A 20 P".
The painting was purchased from one of the Warsaw DESA antique shops in 2023. The exhibit shows minimal spot rubbing of the paint layer and even surface soiling.
The author of the painting (real name Boris Frenkel) settled permanently in France despite his Polish origins. He took his first steps in the art world under the guidance of an engraver. After 1919, he moved to Lviv, then lived in Berlin, Brussels and Paris, among other places. The Brussels period corresponds to his greatest creative activity. He was also interested in theatrical arts – he worked as a stage designer in Berlin and later ran workshops in dramatic art. His earliest known works date from the 1920s, while his first exhibition was held in Brussels in 1930. In 1960, he founded the Nos Artistes association and magazine, dedicated to the memory of Holocaust victims. In addition, he was involved in art and literary criticism in the Jewish magazine "Unzer Stimme."