Raphael Nouril was born in Iran and trained as a classical artist. Eventually he moved with his family to London, where he lived next to a Lubavitcher family who invited the new neighbors over for a meal. Upon entering their house, Raphael was immediately drawn to a picture of the Rebbe they had hanging on the wall. Inexplicably moved, he decided then and there that he wanted to paint a portrait of the Rebbe.
Whenever Raphael painted someone’s portrait, he always got to know them in some way before beginning his work. This particular portrait, however, posed a unique problem for Raphael.
“I felt distant on a number of levels. In addition to being thousands of miles away from the Rebbe, as a secular person I didn’t feel like I could relate to him on a personal level. In my quest to get closer to him, I began to daven, to put on tefillin, and even to keep Shabbos and the holidays.”
Upon completion of the portrait, Raphael traveled to New York with his neighbor to show the Rebbe his handiwork. After commenting on the position of his hands in the painting, Raphael asked the Rebbe what he thought about the face.
“Very good!” he said three times, and then added with a smile: “Better than the original!"
