Visions At An Exhibition

Posted on: June 7th, 2013

Whether it is the disastrous report of the 12 spies or the furious condemnation that doomed an entire generation to die in the wilderness, the Torah narrative in Bamidbar turns terribly grim after the glorious inauguration of the Mishkan in the second year after leaving Egypt. With this in mind, just imagine my surprise at an encounter with two artists who address these (and other Biblical) themes right around the corner.

The Jewish Cemetery: Jacob van Ruisdael’s Homage To Religious Freedom

Posted on: May 31st, 2013

Not far from Amsterdam, in the village of Ouderkerk on the River Amstel, lies the Portuguese-Jewish cemetery called Beth Haim. Here in this pastoral necropolis repose the remains of Jews who fled the Iberian Peninsula in the wake of the Inquisition, exiles who chose banishment over baptism, who had fortuitously managed to survive the torture chambers or dodge the stake in the relentless drive by the Roman Catholic Church to cleanse the land of heretics.

The Ethics Of The Omer: The Abstract Omer Paintings Of Yitzhok Moully

Posted on: May 24th, 2013

I have always had a problem with the Omer. Doing the mitzvah of counting the Omer was of course pretty easy. Remembering to start the second evening of Passover and remembering to stop the day before Shavous took a little concentration but somehow I always managed. No, for me the nagging problem was always why was I doing this in the first place, other than the fact it was a biblical (according to the Rambam) commandment.

Megillas Ruth In Jewish Art

Posted on: May 10th, 2013

The megillahs beg to be illustrated. Each is associated with a notable holiday and each presents an idiosyncratic view of Jewish history and experience. Those that are not overtly narrative cry out to be narrated while the others present the most compelling stories imaginable. Song of Songs is scandalous until tamed by rabbinic interpretation; Koheles equally assaults a pious worldview, Eichah tears our hearts out, while Esther fills us with fear and pride. And finally Ruth causes us to examine the very foundations of the Messiah. Alas, their pictorial history is uneven.

Steinhardt Judaica Collection at Sotheby’s Monday

Posted on: April 29th, 2013

An exquisite collection, across generations.

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Steinhardt’s Legacy

Posted on: April 26th, 2013

Michael and Judy Steinhardt are putting their magnificent Judaica collection up for sale at Sotheby’s in New York on April 29. The results of 44 years of diverse collecting will be on view from Wednesday April 24 and simply must be seen by anyone interested in Jewish visual and material culture.

Two Jewish Views Of Photography

Posted on: April 12th, 2013

Two masters of modern photography are on view at the International Center of Photography; Chim (Szymin) aka David Seymour and Roman Vishniac. They are both Jewish and just happen to bring astute but radically different visions to Jewish photographic subjects. These brilliant, exhaustive exhibitions help us examine the fundamentals of what it means to create a Jewish Art in photography.

Weisberg’s Visions

Posted on: March 29th, 2013

There is a special class of Jewish artists who toil in the rich fields of Tanach and Jewish practice for years and years, quietly establishing a foundation of visual and intellectual markers for generation of artists to come. Ruth Weisberg is clearly one of these founders. Her seminal work articulates an approach to the Jewish narrative deeply informed by a Jewish feminism.

Here I Learned Love

Posted on: March 15th, 2013

A Documentary Produced and Edited by Avi Angel Based on “Three Mothers for Two Brothers” by Izhak Weinberg 54 minutes: Quad Cinema March 1 – 7; soon on Amazon and iTunes What is your earliest memory? Itzik Weinberg’s earliest memory may be of him and his younger brother, Avner, fleeing the invading Germans in Cracow, [...]

Bezalel’s Legacy Commentary on Jewish Craft and Art: Shabbos Parah: Ki Sisa; Exodus 30:11 – 34:35

Posted on: March 1st, 2013

Bezalel, oh Bezalel, what company you keep! Your parsha, Ki Sisa, takes us from humble devotion to God’s commandments to the utter collapse of Israel’s faith. God-inspired creativity morphs into pernicious communal idolatry that expresses gnawing doubt and a desperate need for the mechanics of teshuvah. Yet in the midst of tragedy, drama and redemption, one quiet man and his assistant, Bezalel and Oholiab, were chosen by God to become the alleged ancestors of all Jewish artists.

‘Love Truth And Peace’: The Story Behind The Page 1 Artwork

Posted on: February 20th, 2013

Through her work "The Divine Within," artist Shira Gabriela highlights a literary parallel that exists between Megillat Esther and the Book of Zechariah.

We Are Patriarchs: Paintings by Elke Reva Sudin

Posted on: February 15th, 2013

One way to understand the Biblical is through contemporary eyes, literally. And so artist Elke Reva Sudin has recast biblical figures through contemporary portraits. The juxtaposition is revealing.

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Bradford’s Borders Revisited

Posted on: February 1st, 2013

John Bradford’s paintings span over 40 years of intensive exploration of the joys of the Biblical narrative. He has explicated its myriad passionate moments from almost every narrative in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers to stories from Nach such as Ruth and Naomi, David and Bathsheba and Mordechai and Esther.

Dutch Stolen Art Committee Dismisses Katz Family’s 188 Claims

Posted on: January 27th, 2013

A panel of experts advised the Dutch government to return only one painting out of 189 claimed by relatives of a Holocaust-era art collector.

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Lollapalooza in Israel: Cancelled

Posted on: January 23rd, 2013

Rock music festival Lollapalooza, which was scheduled to take place August 20-22 at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park, has been cancelled.

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Report: Justin Bieber Sued for ‘Assaulting’ Israeli Bodyguard

Posted on: January 13th, 2013

The Israeli former bodyguard of teen idol Justin Bieber reportedly sued the pop star for assault.

Gelernter’s Kings of Israel

Posted on: January 11th, 2013

The recent works of David Gelernter, artist, author and professor of computer science at Yale University, compel us to listen and really see. His statements in the gallery video are riveting and his images, especially the Kings of Israel series are revelatory. It is in the dialectic between these two distinct approaches that we can understand his insight into the past and be guided into a present appreciation of Jewish Art.

It’s a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond

Posted on: January 11th, 2013

Jewish law prohibits carrying an object from a private domain to a public domain (or vice versa) or within a public domain on the Sabbath. One who intentionally carries, knowing the prohibition on the Sabbath is libel to the death penalty by a Jewish court. The creation of an eruv establishes, where possible, an extended private domain in which such carrying is permissible.

North American Immigrants to Northern Israel Display Unique Art Exhibit

Posted on: January 7th, 2013

The North American and English aliyah organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Jewish Agency, and the Jewish National Fund have teamed up with the Ort Braude Academic College of Engineering in Karmiel to feature the artwork of immigrants from English-speaking countries to northern Israel.

Matisyahu’s Interview with CNN

Posted on: December 30th, 2012

Formerly Hasidic reggae star Matisyahu participated in a candid interview with CNN, discussing his departure from observant Jewish life and his connection to his religion.

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