Since the beginning of our history, Jews have excelled in art. As far back as the time of Moses, Bezalel, and Oholiob were the first artisans named in the Bible tasked with designing and constructing the Tabernacle. Since then, Jewish men and women have created art—from paintings and photography to sculpture to silversmithing and jewelry design. In this course, we will look at some well known names such as Marc Chagall and Amedeo Modigliani, but there are certainly many others new to us. The course will move chronologically and present the lives of these artists and look at some of their works to see how their Jewish identity affected their art. 

Facilitator: Lee Rubinstein holds dual degrees in English and History with a minor in Art History. After years of working in the finance industry and the non-profit sector, she was lucky enough to get back to her first love—art. She has been a museum docent for over twelve years. Additionally, during the pandemic, Lee gave over 300 virtual tours to museums around the country and in Australia, the UK, New Zealand, and Israel. She has shared her knowledge and love of art speaking at national conferences in Kansas City and Brisbane, Australia.

Closer to home, Lee created and runs a year-long, all-volunteer art program for the fourth grade in a Title I school. She has been doing this for over fifteen years and believes very strongly that art is a critical part of any child's education. A love of research has led her to create programs for lifelong learners all across the United States.