CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly
TOPIC: The Intersection of The Arts and Judaism
SLATED FOR PUBLICATION: Winter 2013
GUEST EDITORS: Rabbi Eve Ben-Ora and Vickie Reikes-Fox
There are those who claim that the Jewish world has entered another Golden Age. Unprecedented opportunities for creative expression have led to a blossoming of the arts in the Jewish world. Visual expression, music, fine art and crafts have found their way into the consciousness of the Jews. Museums with Jewish content are being built or reimagined across the country. With the opportunity to create comes the question of authenticity.
Judaism has often had a conflicted notion of the visual depiction of ideas. The second commandment, which prohibits making something in GOD’s image, gives the impression that the visual depiction of human beings must be avoided; all the more so, the visage of the Divine. The strict rules around not illustrating a Torah scroll provide a clear message of avoiding the visual, while the long-standing tradition of illuminating Megilat Esther gives a different message. To further confuse the issue, we know of examples where it would appear that the prohibition against worshiping other gods is totally disregarded, i.e. early mosaic floors in synagogues that the symbols of the zodiac.
With this background in mind, the Winter 2013 issue of the CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly will offer the opportunity for reflection on the intersection between the arts and Judaism; who can create Jewish art and who determines what makes the art Jewish.
