Upcoming Events
Weaving as a Practice of Memory and Repair: Anni Albers' "Six Prayers" and the Limits of Memorialization
When: Monday, September 15th, 2025 | 68- 9:15 pm ET
Where: Lehrhaus (425 Washington StreetSomerville, MA 02143)
“Art is the supreme goal: noble, sacred and good; it resurrects.”– Odilon Redon
In 1965, the Jewish Museum in New York City commissioned Anni Albers – a visionary German-Jewish textile artist, printmaker, and designer – to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust. In response, Albers created “Six Prayers,” a series of woven tapestries that evoke Jewish ceremonial art, while encouraging reflection on both the challenges and possibilities of memorialization.
In this session, we’ll engage with Albers’ memorial – as well as her writings – in conversation with Jewish teachings on prayer, memory, and the intricate role that weaving plays in Jewish tradition. Treating Albers’ tapestries as sacred texts, we’ll consider the extent to which weaving – or any art practice, for that matter – can be a form of prayer. Taking a step back, we’ll compare “Six Prayers” to other forms of Holocaust memorialization and, in doing so, discuss the ways in which memorials have always been, and continue to be, contested spaces.
Past Events
Crafting Traditions: Exploring Jewish Folk Art
Have you ever wondered how Jewish communities, throughout the centuries, have beautified their homes, sukkot, and Shabbos tables? How they sewed colorful challah covers, created intricate papercuts, or dipped their candles? Have you ever wished that you, too, could learn and practice these traditions?
In this session, we’ll begin with a teaching from Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael on Exodus 15:2, where Rabbi Ishmael interprets the verse “This is my God and I will glorify Him” as a call to beautify mitzvot. This idea—known as hiddur mitzvah—has shaped Jewish craft traditions for centuries.
Drawing on this core text and others, we’ll learn about the long history and evolution of Jewish craft practices. We’ll look at examples of historic and contemporary ritual objects, tell stories about the heirlooms and sacred items in our own families, and try our hand at a few of these traditions ourselves.
When: Tuesday, July 8th, 2025 | 6 - 7:15 pm ET
Where: Lehrhaus (425 Washington StreetSomerville, MA 02143)
Pop-Up Launch!
Sunday, August 18th, 2024
1 - 5 pm ET
Join us for a festive pop-up launch of the Jewish Craft School, featuring:
Music from DJ CHAiA
Opportunities to learn about – and try your hand at – papercutting, embroidery, calligraphy, bookbinding, and candle-making! Workshops will be taught by Naomi Weintraub, EJ Youcha, Ketzirah Lesser, Julie Seltzer, and Sarah Chandler.
A pop-up craft market presented by Pushcart Judaica!
Suggested entry price: $18
Registration strongly recommended - RSVP Here
Where
Center for New Jewish Culture
17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11238
Where
Center for New Jewish Culture
17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11238