Jewish learning As Jews Celebrate the Creation of the World, Some are Celebrating Creativity Itself
By Hebrew College
For some Jews, reemerging from a long pandemic and reengaging with their faith has meant making art. Not art with a capital “A,” the kind that hangs in galleries or museums, but the kind that might stir up creative potential and bring about a new awareness or connection with their spiritual selves.
The Jewish Studio Project, an 8-year-old nonprofit based in Berkeley, California, allows people a more meditative portal into Jewish practice, less intellectual and more intuition driven. The idea is to follow the energy or the pleasure of moving a line across the page and allowing the mind to relax and lead where it will.
Adina Allen, who earned her rabbinic ordination from Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, adapted that approach by adding the study of Jewish texts — the Torah, liturgical prayers or rabbinic interpretations. That study is often done in small groups as a way to explore questions, reflect and prime the mind for creating art.
