DONI SILVER SIMONS DEBUTS THE DOCUMENTARY SHORT "OMER 5769" AT THE 22ND WASHINGTON D.C. JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL -

- Examining the Jewish Approach to Time-

Omer 5769 documents a collaborative performance art piece uniting 9 Jewish women in an act of deconstructive constructivism. Abstract Painter and Performance Artist Doni Silver Simons examines the traditional Jewish approach to time, integral to Jewish memory and cognitive processing, and the profound relevance of the way we count on the evolution of Jewish identity.

OMER 5769, a documentary short by artist Doni Silver Simons and filmmaker Jonathan Skurnik, examines the 7 week period between Passover and the holiday of Shavuot - a period marked by the daily iteration of an oral tally. Each day of the 49-day Omer refines our focus on the unique nature of time and encourages us to seize the moment.

Sh'ma Journal's Walking a Jewish Path

This month, Sh'ma focuses on how we walk in the world as  Jews, the multitude of paths that lead us toward deeper Jewish  commitment — or away from it. We explore how Jews invite in  and sometimes intimidate seekers. The personal stories in this issue express the fluid nature of identity, belief, and practice. Shulem Deen, who grew up as a Skver Hasid, writes about his decision to leave Hasidism; Shmuly Yanklowitzbecame Orthodox; Shani Rosenbaum wrestled with her Orthodox practice; Bruce Weinstock writes about negotiating with his wife about their religious practice; Danya Ruttenberg writes about how her practice changed when she became a mother; Ben Dreyfus, Jacob Fine, and Rachel Klinghoffer each reflect on how their practices emerged; Lizzi Heydemann writes about creating a place for seekers in Chicago; Erica Lyons settles into Jewish life in Hong Kong; and Marci Shore finds herself most comfortable in the stacks of a Polish archive.

Nu ART's SEDER Art Project in SoCal

For more than a decade the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Artists Initiative (JAI), the Skirball Cultural Center and others have worked to foster Jewish cultural experiences for residents of Los Angeles. Building on these efforts Nu ART Projects creates a way to expand this conversation reaching new audiences and engaging long time participants in innovate ways.

Current project: SEDER Art.

A meal-based initiative committed to creating a path for rethinking
how contemporary Jewish art and culture is financed and experienced communally.

Archie Rand's Art in Text/Context

Archie Rand "Yithro"

NY Jewish Week's December issue of Text/Context  on Leadership features several works by esteemed artist Archie Rand.


Editor Sandee Brawarsky:
Archie Rand is recognized as a pioneer among contemporary American Jewish artists, and his work has been exhibited widely all over the world. We've selected work from two of his acclaimed series (pages 4,6,9,10) that tell stories of the Bible, combining vivid color, imagery and text. Over his distinguished career, he has created his own narrative iconography, as he explains, "out of necessity."

The striking image on the cover, Yitro (the father-in-law of Moses), reproduced in full, below, is one of 54 "Chapter Paintings" Rand made in 1989, each inspired by a weekly section of the Torah. Every work in that series includes an architectural frame, resembling a gate or door, perhaps to the ark, opening to deeper meanings and interpretation.

Warriors/Peacemakers - Julian Voloj & Claudia Ahlering

Warriors/Peacemakers: Activists and Artists Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Hoe Avenue Peace Meeting

December 11th from 3 to 6pm

A fascinating project and art exhibit by Julian Voloj, involving former gang leader / observant Jew Benjamin Melendez.

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) and JWalks are excited to present Warriors/Peacemakers: Activists and Artists Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Hoe Avenue Peace Meeting as part of our Shifting Communities Roundtable Event Series. 
305 East 140th St. #1A, Bronx, NY 10454.

The Mourning Kittel: When Grief Consumes All

Copyright Jacqueline Nicholls

By Jacqueline Nicholls

In Genesis, when Jacob sees Joseph’s coat covered in blood, and thinks that his precious son is dead, he tears his clothes and begins to mourn. The act of tearing, keriah, is encoded in Jewish law as part of the ritual of mourning —whether expressing personal grief for a loved one or a national grief for the people’s destruction.

The act of tearing, of destroying clothes, is a visceral action full of rage and violence, physically expressing some of the many strong emotions one feels when one is bereaved. I also see it as making a symbolic break in personal identity. As a mourner, you are no longer the person you were. Something has shifted, something has ruptured in your life, and the experience of loss and grief can have a profound effect on identity. And so your clothing, that which represents your old self, is destroyed.

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/146605/#ixzz1f8YatRfC