Jewish artists stood beside their art and chatted with one another and with art fans. It was a Sunday afternoon devoted to art, and some respite from the troubling news facing the Jewish people in recent months.
The Jewish Artists’ Exhibition was held Feb. 18, 2024, at The Shul Center in Bayside. The theme was “Moshiach: Envisioning an Era.” The event was by The Shul Center and Chabad of the Eastside.
Traditional Judaism taches that the mashiach will be a righteous leader who will someday usher in a messianic age. That age is to be a time of peaceful co-existence, a better time for the Jewish people.
At first blush, you might think creating art inspired by the mashiach to be a difficult assignment. It’s an abstract subject, featuring elements unseen. But local artists took on the challenge. Jacqueline Redlich stared at her canvas for a long time and considered the assignment, before starting her work to create “Saphire.” She pursued the idea because of a passage in Exodus, where sapphire brick is said to be beneath God’s feat. This struck her with imagery, which became a bouquet of colorful scrolls.
“Mashiach can represent so many things. It can represent a little portion of who we are,” she said. “And I just took a little aspect of that. I illustrated it in a more abstract way.”
Chava Edelman, Shul program director, and Mushka Lein, Chabad of the Eastside Program Director, were coordinators for this second annual art exhibition. Edelman said she didn’t know much about art exhibitions, so she has relied on artists like Redlich for guidance.
Rabbi Aggie Goldenholz created a piece, Tikvah Hope, a giant keyhole opening to beauty. It is acrylic on canvas. She said she does not identify as a professional artist and has learned a lot from other local artist who were part of this community project.
Diana Kleban created “Powerful Prayer” and other watercolors. Veranika H. Birbrair painted a woman hunched over, in pain. “In the painting, the woman suffering is unaware of an angel hovering behind her,” Birbrair wrote for her exhibit description. “The angel wans to help, but if he does, he would ruin the test.”
The event featured more than 20 artists. Food inspired by Passover was served.
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