Sharing the Aesthetic Sense of Our Community

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By Karen Akst Schecter

Aimee Golant: Art for Prayer and Peace

A Bridge to Oneness

It’s not every day that a gallery such as ours finds an artist that is such a terrific fit with the goals and mission of our enterprise: to celebrate the oneness of us all even as we celebrate an individual’s uniqueness, and to do as much good in this world as we can, even as... READ MORE >

By Karen Akst Schecter

Women & Tallit: Taking the Plunge

My Personal Journey to Donning, and Loving, My Prayer Shawl

As a woman of a certain generation, the journey to wearing a tallit was an emotionally turbulent one. So much of the decision was fraught with emotional baggage, and it took years to shed the misplaced emotions, to marry the intellect with the heart. Growing up, we were a traditional Jewish family with a varied... READ MORE >

Shokeling When I Pray: Is it Good for My Soul?

Musing about the Shokel Shuffle - an Esoteric Piece of Jewish Trivia

Walk into virtually any synagogue service at any time of the year and you are bound to see one, if not many, worshipers shokeling. What, you might ask, is shokeling? Or is it shokling? Either way, it derives from the Yiddish word “to shake” and means just that: the swaying back and forth and/or side... READ MORE >

By Karen Akst Schecter

Judaica: How, What & Why

The Concept of Hiddur Mitzvah

Why Judaica as an art form? Judaism, like many of the world’s religions, is intrinsically beautiful, and we want our relationship with the Almighty to be just as beautiful. Judaica – Jewish ceremonial art used for ritual purposes – embodies the concept of Hiddur Mitzvah: to beautify the Almighty’s commandments or mitzvot by performing them... READ MORE >