After many years as a handbag designer, I left the fashion world to change paths.  At one time I loved the fashion industry, but the world was changing quickly, and what I was projecting into the universe felt increasingly unimportant.  As someone of a certain age who grew up in the sheltered Jewish enclaves of New Jersey and New York, I was beginning to be exposed to Antisemitism in my early thirties.  It showed up in my relationships with friends and casual encounters, even those with Jewish heritage, and the LGBT community of which I was also a part.  The generation of my grandparents, who lived through the Great Depression and the Holocaust was quickly disappearing, and along with them, their Jewish literacy and links to our past.  Coupled with increasing assimilation, intermarriage, and a disturbing, growing Antisemitism across political lines, globally, I began to realize I had taken for granted the perceived safety of my youth.  I returned to school, completing a BA in Jewish Studies from the City College of New York in 2020, and a  Master’s in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2023, as well as a certification in Israel Education from the I Center.

Artist Statement

To theorize solely, one misses the fact that real people experienced the subjects we dissect.  Creating art allows me to not only combine my love of visual arts and Jewish education, but It also seems to be at times the only way I could illustrate some of the challenges and missing pieces in the discourse around Jews, Judaism, Israel and Antisemitism.  Through visual means, I’m able to convey something that words alone cannot, allowing people to either relate or think about the subject matter, via a lens they had not contemplated or known to exist.   Through my work I shine a light on the complicated themes we have a tendency to avoid, such as the power dynamics Jews have had to navigate throughout history, much of that in Christian and Islamic lands.  In an attempt to change ourselves, our language, or our definitions, whether by force or coercion, there’s a lot of confusion among both Jews and Gentiles on who Jews are, the space we occupy, and an inability to name some big Jewish elephants in the room.  Jews are an ancient people, who as a minority have evolved to avoid perceived repercussions from the majority, to reduce discomfort or what can feel like confrontation, and so we exclude at times important pieces of our story and truth.

I utilize different mediums in my art.  I work in acrylic, colored pencil, marker, watercolor, and oil, while some pieces are purely digital. I also like to use photography with digital mediums, creating a collage or layered effect.  My influences are my Jewish ancestors, both in Europe, and the Middle East, a love for Am Yisrael, and all of humanity.  How much things change and how they stay the same, from Abraham and Sarah, to today.  We all continue to be misunderstood and maybe also misunderstand.  Art can bridge these gaps, and I hope mine reaches you.