The Peace Cylinder

        The Peace Cylinder is  a  collaboration project  that  brings  together  two  important  stories: the Declaration of King Cyrus of Persia and the Book of Esther from the Bible. The Cyrus Cylinder is a clay cylinder that dates to the sixth century B.C. in which is regarded as the first declaration of human rights for the way in which it promotes religious tolerance.  The Book of Esther is a section of The Hebrew Bible that relates the story of a Jewish girl, who became the queen of Persia and used her position to intercede with the king in order to prevent a genocidal plan against her people.
       The project endeavors to promote peace and tolerance through the discovery of what we hold in common. The artists, Linda Behar, who is of Jewish heritage and Raheleh T. Filsoofi, who is of Iranian heritage, intend to bring diverse communities together in conversation and to send a message of tolerance and acceptance throughout the world.