"Writing Lesson" & "Kaddish"

This room on the second floor of the permanent exhibition presents changing displays of works by contemporary Jewish artists who explore present Jewish life and tradition in different ways. The artworks should be seen as their personal way of engaging with these topics. They reflect on ritual practice, Jewish self-definitions, and current political and social challenges.

This room was created with the support of DekaBank.

Hadassa Goldvicht was born in Israel in 1981 and studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. She currently lives and works in Jerusalem. In her video and spatial installations, she explores language, myths, and intimacy. She attempts to subvert and reinterpret religious rituals.

In her video series Writing Lessons (2005–2012), she draws on the Jewish tradition of “sweetening” a boy’s experience of learning the Hebrew alphabet and beginning Torah study. In the videos, she plays the protagonist herself and thus appropriates and gives new meaning to this custom as a woman. 

Yael Serlin was born in Israel in 1983 and studied at the Hamidrasha Faculty of the Arts at Beit Berl near Tel Aviv and at the Emunah Art Academy in Jerusalem. She currently lives and works in Jerusalem. In her multidisciplinary work, she explores personal subjects and Jewish tradition, which she questions and further develops as a practicing Jew.

Her video Kaddish (2018) is based on the prayer for the dead that is traditionally recited by men. In her work, though, ten women recite the prayer, dedicating it to the violence they have experienced in their own lives.

Beginning October 31, the exhibition can be seen in the permanent exhibition of the Jewish Museum. The opening will take place as part of a matinee with curator Sara Soussan on Sunday, October 30, 2022 at 11 a.m. We kindly ask you to register by Thursday, October 27, 2022 at the following address: besuch.jmf@stadt-frankfurt.de

During the opening, admission to the cabinet exhibition will be free of charge.