We welcome this opportunity to showcase a variety of Orthodox Jewish female artists. In our modern age, sociological and economic factors have increased the available time and opportunities for women, including Orthodox women, to pursue their artistic talents.
The motive of Hiddur Mitzvah is very strong for many of the artists, who produce spectacular pieces of work in textiles, metalwork, and book arts. But much of the art that is produced by Orthodox Jewish women can also be seen as an exploration of Jewish identity for the artists—as women, as Jews, and as members of the Orthodox community—and of how the multiple identities may complement and conflict with one another. Many female Jewish artists today are inspired by their own personal histories and those of their families, and relate specifically to the Holocaust or to other events in Jewish history, as well as to Biblical and Talmudic stories, personalities and teachings.
But art is not only affirmation. There is a radical nature to artistic endeavor. Art can be iconoclastic, can serve as a challenge to the status quo, and provide new ways of viewing the world. Many female Jewish artists today work and create in order to explore tensions and conflicts within Jewish life, to make us look at things differently or take an unconventional approach to established facts or concepts. While this can be unsettling and cause us to feel uncomfortable at times, such art is particularly valuable in giving us novel ways of understanding the role of women in Orthodox society today.
As heirs to the women who made items for the Mishkan, we can see the strong connection between Art and spirituality. Art is one way of approaching God, one way of “Avodat Hashem”. With the wonderful flowering of women’s learning, and the opening of opportunities for women to study texts independently and reach intellectual heights of Jewish scholarship, we must not forget our emotional and spiritual needs and strengths.
In “Orot Hakodesh”, Rav Kook wrote: “Each individual must know that he has been called upon to serve (God) according to his own unique understanding and feeling, based on the root of his soul, and that he will find the treasure of his life in this world which embraces innumerable worlds”. More specifically, he wrote that, “Someone with a lyrical and poetical soul must understand his nature, his special yearnings and desires, the ways of his soul, and the special spiritual life like air for breathing”. Thus, for many people, the Arts can play a major role in their connection to God. Art enables us all to appreciate God’s creation, and one way that we can all seek to achieve our potential of being “betzelem Elokim” is to create and be creative in our lives. This is a challenge for Orthodox Jewish women, as we craft our lives and those of our families, institutions and communities.