48 August 22 • 2019
jn
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
“Divine Feminine”
R
akia Sky Beimel converted to
Judaism about five years ago
through Temple Israel. Long
before preparing to marry a man
raised in Jewish traditions, she had
been intrigued with the questioning
aspects of the religion.
As Beimel felt increasingly connect-
ed to Judaism, she helped establish
and became executive director of
Kibbutz Detropia, based within Detroit
and focused on issues
of the land, ancestral
practices and the Divine
Feminine, which explore
the female presence in
spirituality.
To further carry out
and extend her beliefs,
Beimel enrolled in
the Kohenet Hebrew
Priestess Institute in
Falls Village, Conn.,
which is at the center of
a small movement that
promotes several diverse
leadership roles for
women wanting to carry
out their understanding
of Jewish values. (The
institute is not affiliated
with any mainstream
Jewish movement.)
While attending a
series of workshops to
qualify for becoming a
Kohenet (Priestess) in
the movement, Beimel
thought about her stud-
ies years ago at the College of Visual
Arts in St. Paul, Minn., and suggested
an exhibit to represent the beliefs of
Kohenet practitioners and others inter-
ested in the Divine Feminine.
The Janice Charach Gallery in West
Bloomfield agreed to show the exhibit
curated by Beimel, who invited artists
she knows and included her own work
as well.
Artists represented in “Divine
Feminine,
” running Aug. 25-Sept.
18, are David Brown (ink on paper),
Chana Finman (acrylics on mirror),
Lois Gaylord (textiles), Ketzirah Lesser
(painted textiles), Annie Matan (sculp-
tures), Eli T. Mond (ink on paper) and
Bekah Starr (illustrations).
“The people made work that is
incredibly different … but unified in
their goal of envisioning Divine fem-
ininity,
” says Beimel, also a Temple
Emanu-El preschool assistant teacher.
“I’
m hoping the exhibit educates
people about what a
Kohenet can mean
because there haven’
t
been any in Metro
Detroit until now. The
art projects give every-
one the option to under-
stand Divinity can be
seen in multiple ways,
not just in what we’
ve
been accustomed to all
our lives.
”
Beimel’
s art project
involves introducing the
letters of the Hebrew
alphabet with each rep-
resented by a painting on
a small wooden slab. The
project began during
the most recent institute
workshop, during which
she had to devise a way
to help another student
learn Hebrew.
Starr’
s project, Hamsas
for the Divine Feminine,
consists of 13 illustra-
tions inspired by her
experience exploring pathways at the
institute.
Finman, co-director of Jewish
Ferndale, applied acrylics to a mirror
for Jewish Woman of the Rocks.
“She is so strong that even mighty
waters won’
t disturb her intent,
”
Finman says. “She protects her val-
ues, her family and her identity. The
reflective mirror is to ponder oneself
in the context. What storms must the
viewer deal with? What elements are
eroding?” ■
arts&life
Mummu Tiamat: An Allusion to Sacrifice, Eli T. Mond
Details
“Divine Feminine”
will be on view
Aug. 25-Sept. 18 at the
Janice Charach Gallery
on the main floor of
the Jewish Community
Center in West
Bloomfield. The opening
reception runs 1-3 p.m.
Aug. 25.
Butterfly Goddess, Annie Matan
Charach Gallery show explores female
presence in spirituality.
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