Jewish people need Jewish art to inspire them, to make them think, to help them connect to their heritage. When a Jewish person can relate to art because it has Jewish content, they connect. Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo, of The David Cardozo Academy in Jerusalem, frequently lectures around the world on what he believes is the key to the survival of the Jewish people. Rabbi Cardozo emphasized that without constant discussion of what it means to be “Jewish” our beliefs would become a static, frozen religion. He believes the discussion should not only be about Jewish Law; rather it must examine the very essence of what it authentically means to be Jewish and what the Jewish people’s impact on the world should be. By sharing their personal stories of struggle, the “Graphic Details” artists have made a significant contribution to keeping the discussion of what it means to be a contemporary Jew going.
Jacob Mezrahi is a New York based artist, educator and writer. Contact him at [email protected].