Religious Life

A Series of Exhibitions and Events
Minneapolis / St. Paul—April 7 through June 1, the Sabes JCC and the St. Paul JCC in partnership with
the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Minnesota, and in cooperation
with our community partners, are presenting a series of arts exhibitions and related events centered
on the Holocaust. Through photography, stories, paintings, talks, performance and workshops,
incredible stories of loss and survival come to life.
[RE]TELLING
April 7 – June 1
Location: Sabes JCC Tychman Shapiro Gallery
Reception: April 19 at 6 PM
Featuring select works from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
(CHGS) permanent collection of survivor Fritz Hirschberger’s Sur-Rational series. Hirschberger paintings
are paired with contemporary works by local artists who deal closely with related matters.
In this series, Hirschberger invokes the religious art of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and draws
from texts, historical narratives, and testimony in developing the content of the paintings. His work is
brought in dialogue with that of contemporary artists, who, like Hirschberger, are translating history,
experience, and art into expression that communicates across generations.
Participating artists include: Sandra Brick, Eva Cohen, David Feinberg, Dr. Robert Fisch, Pamela Gaard,
Judith Brin Ingber, Howard Oransky, Rowan Pope, David Sherman, J. Wren Supak, Susan Weinberg
Made possible by the Howard B. & Ruth F. Brin Jewish Arts Endowment Fund,
a Fund of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
SIX CHAIRS
April 7 – June 1
Location: Sabes JCC Shared Walls
Reception: April 19 at 6 PM
Rowan Pope, a visual artist and instructor, received a Rimon Project Support Grant to Collaborate with
Beck School in Golden Valley to create an illustrated teen’s book, Six Chairs: A Holocaust Survivor’s
Story. Through 17 stories written by Pope and evocative art created by middle school students at Breck,
Six Chairs conveys 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Joe Grosnacht’s harrowing experience in numerous
work camps and concentration camps, including Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and his survival through
the war.
LOSS AND BEAUTY:
CREATING SOLACE IN A LAND OF INFINITE SORROW
April 7 – June 1
Location: St. Paul JCC Gallery Walk
Photographer Keron Psillas layers her original photos to illustrate a conversation between fear,
searching, and sadness, showing the power of beauty and love to overcome darkness and evil. While
photographing historic Holocaust sites, Psillas found beauty among the loss and devastation. This beauty
can offer a light to dispel the darkness, if only for a brief time.
RELATED EVENT:
THOUGHTFUL VIEWING: BEAUTY & SADNESS
A STUDIO J EVENT
Thursday, April 20, 7 – 8:30 PM
Location: St. Paul JCC Gallery Walk
Through a guided viewing of the Gallery Walk exhibit Loss and Beauty, we will discuss the ways that our
knowledge of tragic events informs how we look at photos, followed by an opportunity for our own
creative reflections.
OTHER RELATED PROGRAMMING
CALL & RESPONSE
April 7 – June 1
The Eiger Zaidenweber
Holocaust Resource Center
Student artwork by teens from St. Paul and Minneapolis Jewish communities.
YAD VASHEM:
BEYOND THE MUSEUM
Wednesday, April 26, 6:30 PM Reception, 7 PM Talk
Influx Space, Regis Center for Art, University of Minnesota
A virtual tour and talk by Yehudit Shendar, retired Deputy Director and Senior Art Curator at Yad
VaShem.
Presented by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
WEISENTHAL
April 25 – 30
Illusion Theater
The riveting story of Simon Weinsenthal.
Presented by The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
TEACHING THE HOLOCAUST THROUGH ART EDUCATOR WORKSHOP
Tuesday, May 9, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: Sabes JCC Tychman Shapiro Gallery and related exhibition spaces
A workshop with Yehudit Shendar and two local educators on ways to teach Holocaust and genocide
studies through art. Free, and educators receive 2 CEUs with registration. See cla.umn.edu/chgs for
more info.
Presented by the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies
For more information visit sabesjcc.org.