Embedded Files
Partnership with the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles
Partnership with the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles
I’m thrilled to share that we are now partnering with the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, which will help us bring the exhibit to additional institutions, schools, synagogues, and community partners throughout the region. This collaboration will allow us to reach more audiences and deepen the educational impact of the project.
Now Back in Los Angeles
Now Back in Los Angeles
RE(Defining) Zionism will be on view at Temple Isaiah in Los Angeles through January 31.
And on Thursday, December 4 at 6:00pm, we’ll celebrate Opening Night with a special conversation featuring one of the subjects of the exhibit, Amos Davidowitz—a Lt. Colonel in the IDF reserves who has spent much of the last two years serving in Gaza and Lebanon. He is also a grandfather, a lifelong kibbutznik, and the author of A Path of Peace in the Field of Battle: An Israeli Officer’s Ethical Will to His Children on the Eve of Battle.
RSVP link here
San Diego Reflections: Community, Conversation, and What Comes Next
Our recent run of RE(Defining) Zionism at the Gotthelf Art Gallery at the Lawrence Family JCC was extraordinary. Hundreds visited the exhibit. What unfolded was everything this project strives for: nuance, listening, vulnerability, courage, and genuine human connection.
The Community Reflection Wall
The Community Reflection Wall
For the first time, we introduced a community reflection wall, inviting attendees to share a thought, feeling, question, or personal connection after viewing the exhibit by writing them on post-it notes and adding them to the wall.
The responses were powerful—short notes that included quiet confessions, challenges, affirmations, hopes, fears. Some people wrote about their family histories. Others shared thoughts they didn’t feel they could share anywhere else. Many simply wrote “Thank you" and "Love".
I’ve included some photos of the wall above.
A Workshop on Identity and Listening
A Workshop on Identity and Listening
We also had the privilege of leading a hands-on workshop for high school students from the San Diego Jewish Academy, focused on identity, empathy, and the power of deep listening. After viewing the exhibit, the students sat in pairs and engaged in guided conversations about identity, Israel, and Zionism. We taught them techniques for deep listening and thoughtful reflection, helping them practice truly hearing and honoring one another’s stories.
They then received a short lesson in portrait photography—how to create images that reveal something beyond what a person looks like. Each student photographed their partner, and we printed the portraits on-site. The students mounted the prints onto cardstock and wrote the reflections of what they heard. Finally, they presented these portraits and reflections back to their partners, creating a moving exchange of insight, empathy, and connection.
Watching these teens engage with complexity was deeply moving. They asked smart, brave questions. They opened up to each other. They practiced sitting with perspectives different from their own. They modeled the kind of conversation adults often struggle to have.
It was one of the most meaningful parts of our San Diego visit, and we look forward to continuing to offer workshops like this across L.A. and beyond.
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