ARTS&LIFE
ART EXHIBIT
continued from page 77
Jewish heritage and visit as a
way to highlight major cultural
milestones in their respective
communities.
In what was a classic case
of six-degrees of separation,
it turns out that preexisting
relationships between members
of our local Jewish and Indian
communities would come
together to create what turned
out to be an inspiring and
diverse event on April 16.
A CULTURAL
CELEBRATION
The JCC was looking for
something impactful to
celebrate the 75th anniversary
of Israel’s independence, Yom
HaAtzmaut, Independence Day,
that was observed this week.
The gallery is one of
the myriad of cultural arts
offerings at the JCC. Judy
Loebl, its chief programming
officer, was the brainchild
behind the gallery’s
commemorating Israel’s
milestone anniversary.
“I felt it was important that
our departments participate
in Israel’s independence of 75
years and for the gallery to
have an exhibit of Israeli artists
that are working and living in
Israel today.”
To that end, Loebl reached
out to Yiftah Leket, the senior
community shaliach (emissary)
for the JFMD. Leket works
for the Jewish Agency and is
completing his third of three
years stationed in Detroit
from Israel; his mission to
strengthen Israel’s ties with our
community.
It turns out the JFMD has
a partnership region in Israel
(Partnership2Gether) in the
Central Galilee, of which one
of the municipalities is the
Your early notoriety came from the murals
you painted in the Mahane Yehuda
Market in Jerusalem, popularly referred
to as “The Shuk.” To date, you’ve painted
250 murals on the shutters the merchants
draw down each night. You saw the shut-
ters as natural canvases?
In a matter of speaking, yes. I was intro-
duced to The Shuk while attending the
yeshivah and wanted to bring life to the
area on Shabbat when everything was
closed.
And were you commissioned to do these
murals?
No, friends of mine initially supplied me
with a couple hundred cans of spray paint,
which set us off on our trajectory. We accept-
ed some donations, and eventually the
money we collected for tours of our art in
The Shuk covered our costs for a few years.
It was never about profits. It was about bring-
ing light and color to this dark space.
From shutters to murals on buildings that
are several stories high, just what is it
about you and murals?
I’m quite a social individual, and I like
painting large images and challenging
myself. Painting in the street is an amazing
experience, a very dynamic experience.
You’re painting for the public. You can get
cheered or booed.
People refer to you as a street artist or
muralist. Do you have a preference?
I’m a painter. Just a painter [said with a
modest smile]. Just a human who likes to
paint. I think everyone should be painting.
As children, we all painted, but adults stop
painting for some reason. We all still have
that childhood imagination within us.
You’ve painted countless well-known per-
sonalities from all walks of life. Has any-
one you’ve done a portrait of seen your
interpretation of them?
“Dr. Ruth” Westheimer, the sex therapist,
was attending an event in Israel and hap-
pened to be at The Shuk marketplace in
Jerusalem. She was not aware that I had
painted a mural of her there. I brought her
over and surprised her. She loved it. She’s a
sweet little lady.
You’re British, Jewish, Indian and an
Israeli. It was noted in remarks by the
people who introduced you at the open-
ing of your exhibit that your art rep-
resents diversity and inclusion. What do
you hope are the messages your paint-
ings convey?
I want my art to be for everyone. The
streets are diverse, and art is a language
that everyone can speak, no matter what
your background. It’s for everyone to enjoy
and interpret in their own way.
I often write humorous columns in the
Jewish News, so this is a tongue-in-cheek
question. You’re a painter of murals who
lives in Jerusalem ... is the Wailing Wall a
tempting subject?
I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind [said
equally with tongue-in-cheek]. However, I,
of course, would never consider that. The
Wailing Wall is a piece of art on its own.
You’ve painted all over the world and you
seem to be painting projects nonstop, but
I was surprised to hear you don’t have an
agent or a publicist.
God is my agent. He is the conductor of
the universe, and he conducts my orches-
tra. You have to keep the faith.
ONE-ON-ONE WITH SOLOMON SOUZA continued from page 77
ALAN MUSKOVITZ
78 | APRIL 27 • 2023
A perspective of the Creation
mural when under construction