Many artists and activists got their start in the Jewish world at organizations that depend on the philanthropic sector. Is this a good thing, or does make our culture stale? This conversation between leaders of Jewish cultural creation will talk about what it means to have a culture that can help us heal and bring people into a Judaism, and into a movement, that's dynamic, alive, and bringing forth a more liberatory world.
Panelists:
Aurora Levins Morales is a cuir Ashkenazi Boricua writer of poetry, essays, and fiction. A child of blacklisted communist parents, she grew up immersed in social justice movements and the poetry of liberation, and came into public voice as part of the collective eruptions of radical art of the 1970s and ’80s. She is the author of nine books, including Medicine Stories, Kindling, Remedios, and Silt. Her poetry is widely used in synagogues and churches, in schools and at rallies, painted on walls and recited at weddings, translated into seven languages and reprinted in dozens of anthologies.
Lex Rofeberg is a Jewish educator and activist who serves as senior Jewish educator for Judaism Unbound. He oversees Judaism Unbound's UnYeshiva (a digital center for Jewish learning and unlearning), produces and co-hosts its weekly podcast, and facilitates regular forms of communal gathering via Zoom.
He was ordained as a rabbi through ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and serves on the board of directors for Tikkun Olam Productions, The Shalom Center, and Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations.
Our moderator, Arielle Tonkin, is a mixed Moroccan and Ashkenazi artist and a Community Council Member for Golden Thread's 2024 Season for Palestine. Arielle paints, sings and co-produces immersive art and ritual spaces across the U.S. Recent highlights include: Morocco to the Bay: A Diasporic Prayerformance (2023), Albany; A Fence Around the Torah (2021-2022), Jewish Museum of Maryland; Queering Jewish Diasporas (2019), Oakland; and solo exhibition Orienting Practice (2018), Boston. Learn more at www.arielletonkin.com.