ARTS
NEWLY CREATED JEWISH
CEREMONIAL OBJECTS,
UNUSUAL AND DIFFERENT,
ARE ON' VIEW
IN AN EXHIBIT.
THE
NEW
JUDAEA
MERRIE EISENSTADT
Special to The Jewish News
L
The 9-inch long torah pointer, by
Frederick Fenster, is made of
sterling silver with turquoise and
carnelian stones.
94
FRIDAY, NOV. 27, 1987
inda Altshuler, director of the B'nai
B'rith Klutznik Museum in
Washington, D.C., fully expects to
shock some people who come to the
museum's new exhibit of modern Judaica.
She and the exhibit's guest curator,
Gayle Weiss, know that Jewish ceremonial
objects like glass Ibrah pointers, lucite and
silver kiddish cups, and a menorah made
of aluminum, marble, porcelain and wood,
are unusual and different.
"It may be a shock to some people who
expect things to look the same old way,"
Altshuler says of the exhibit, "Masters of
Ceremony: Designers of New Judaica,"
which opened last month and continues
through January 31, 1988. The museum is
located at 1640 Rhode Island Ave:, N.W.,
Washington, D.C.
Still, Altshuler and Weiss stress the fine
craftmanship of the 170 featured pieces,
and believe the show will be well received,
if not a trend-setter.
In organizing the exhibit, Weiss, who is
a consultant to the Israel Museum in Je-
rusalem, enlisted many highly regarded ar-
tists, both Jewish and non-Jewish, to
create Judaica for the first time.
"We have been very serious about requir-
ing that the pieces be functional and con-
form to Halachic requirements," Weiss
says. The artists were receptive to her in-
struction regarding requirements, she
adds. "It's very exciting to be given some
restrictions."
Altshuler agrees. "If you are an artist,
you always want new challenges," she says. -
"These artists were flattered and excited
to be included in this exhibit."
According to Weiss, there is a growing
interest in Jewish ceremonial art. Two
reasons may account for Judaica's increas-
ing popularity. First, Weiss says, "Young
Artist Annette Hirsh created the
silver and turquoise dreidl, which
is only 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches.