02/14/2024
I began work on this painting, “Hineni” (הנני), in the summer of 2023, as my wedding gift to . “Hineni” is one of the most powerful statements in Hebrew scripture, translated as “Here I Am” - a declaration of affirmation, presentness, preparation, and availability. I looked to Klimt’s “The Kiss” for compositional inspiration, while paying direct homage to Marc Chagall for spiritual direction.
I wanted “Hineni” to capture generational joy: to speak to our lived moment while expressing gratitude to our ancestors for the sacrifices they made, so that we could be here today, celebrating the continuation of our faith and the survival, against all odds, of the Jewish people.
Chagall scholar Susan Goodman writes that “during the period in which Chagall lived, Jews had two ways to join the art world: one was to ‘hide or deny one’s Jewish roots’, the other—the one that Chagall chose—was ‘to cherish and publicly express one’s Jewish roots’ by integrating them into art.”
I am proud to be Jewish. It would be easier not to be. It certainly would have been easier for my ancestors, who survived a calculated extermination of 6 million Jews less than 80 years ago, centuries of relentless pogroms, expulsions, deportations, massacres, scapegoating, forced conversions, and Inquisitions. Yet, with resilience and tenacity, they embraced their Judaism and confidently passed their heritage, spirit, and traditions on to me. And so, with reverence and humility, today and every day, I say Hineni. הנני 🕯️🤍🕊️ 🧿🪬💫
