Under One Roof Artists Book 2023 by Mayerson.JCC

SUKKAH ART EXHIBIT UNDER ONE ROOF

ream

OCTOBER 2023

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ART EXHIBIT

SUKKAH ART EXHIBIT UNDER ONE ROOF D ream

INTRODUCTION

The Mayerson JCC welcomes the community to celebrate the Jewish festival of Sukkot* with the Under One Roof Sukkah Art Exhibit. Inside the shared sukkah*, enjoy beautiful works of art created by organizations, agencies, community groups, and individuals from across the city. Thousands of people visit the sukkah exhibit, and all are engaged and inspired. This year, participants used their artwork to explore the theme, Dream.

Chalom | םולח (dream) inspires us with visions and hope.

“If you will it, it is no dream.”

– Theodor Herzl

The artworks in the 2023 Under One Roof exhibit explore the cherished aspirations that influence our lives. We have arrived at this theme from diverse points of inspiration:

We all have dreams – tangible and intangible – that guide who we are, the choices we make, and the values we embody.

In our annual Under One Roof Sukkah Art Exhibit, we have explored many themes and created interesting conversations with beautiful artworks from across the community year after year. Introspection and outward reflection from different perspectives create a weaving of ideas, thoughts, and truths for us as individuals and as a community.

The Jewish people have fought and persevered from the beginning of our history, 4,000 years ago. For generations, dreams have become a reality due to the resilience of our people. As we pass on history and culture to the next generation, we must remember to teach them that, no matter how big or how small, you can make your dreams come true.

As we conclude the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the modern State of Israel, we explore this time and place, its history, achievements, challenges, politics, culture, and future. The State of Israel is a dream that has been realized, which means we can only continue envisioning what new dreams we can aspire to achieve.

What do you dream of? What inspires you? How can your dream become a reality? As we ponder these questions, we appreciate the dreams we have forgotten along the way, the dreams we were too scared to admit, and the dreams that keep us going.

* Sukkot is the Jewish festival giving thanks for the fall harvest. It also commemorates the 40 years of the Israelites wandering in the desert after Sinai. Sukkah is the Hebrew word for the temporary structures built to celebrate the holiday.

Adrienne Varady

In Midrash Konen, on the second day of creation, two primordial lovers fill the cosmos, the waters Above and Below. Creation could not continue until they were separated. They were. Creation continued. In another tale, when this world ends, the two lovers will be reunited— the Behemoth and the Leviathan. In Talmudic descriptions, Behemoth is associated with fresh waters from the sky and Leviathan with the ocean. Leviathan’s skin and eyes are luminous because of her proximity to the light of creation. The divine Artisan directs their flow allowing for the emergence of new creations. Here is the meaning of Leviathan in a 13th century prayer: “May it be your will Hashem that just as I have fulfilled (the mitzvah) and dwelt in this sukkah, so may I merit in the coming year to dwell within the sukkah of the Leviathan.” Leviathan is illustrated holding its tail, symbolizing Shalom and encircling our world. The sukkah of Leviathan is a sanctuary of peace—a sukkah we must strive to build before the end of days. Leviathan holding its tail is fully realized in the nature of the coming world where all will exist without harm: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Hashem, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9-10). May we be open to the awareness of the divinity that suffuses all of creation and that we can no longer imagine causing harm to any being anymore.

Beck’s Place

Art by: Rebecca Garfinkle and Tiffany Thomas

Butterflies are symbolic of change, which is what I am dreaming of. I’m mad at our reality, so I’m dreaming of a government that takes care of our needs without taking away our rights. How can our government advertise the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as they strip away our personal freedoms?

Even though it appears to be four separate issues depicted in my panel, the lines between them are blurred. These issues intersect:

What I choose to do with my body is a conversation only I need to have with G-d; not the government.

Whether it is due to homelessness, domestic violence, or queerphobia, we all deserve a safe place to call home.

If we continue to destroy our environment, we will lose our most valuable life force. No amount of money will outweigh what water provides.

Everyone deserves a seat at the table, to be nourished, and to end hunger physically and spiritually.

As we are all created in the image of G-d (םיהלא םלצב | b’Tzelem Elohim).

End Hunger. Feed Someone. Make a Human Connection. Change the World.

Beth Adam

Art by: Carrie Resnick

Congregation Beth Adam is a spiritual home, a meaningful voice, and a humanistic resource for people worldwide, seeking a contemporary Jewish identity and experience.

In this piece, we invite you to share your dreams. What are the dreams of our community? We invite you to take a moment, write down your dream on the provided strips, and attach or weave into the piece.

Camp at the J

Camp at the J offers a fun, active, and safe summertime experience providing opportunities for children and young adults in the Jewish and broader communities to build friendships, learn valuable skills, and participate in physical activity, and enhance their self-esteem. Our welcoming and inclusive environment values the dignity and worth of each individual, and we work to foster positive relationships and build greater understanding among campers of every background, culture, religion, gender identity, race, and physical and intellectual capability.

We created a piece to represent the dreams that our campers and staff have for themselves and the future of Camp at the J. The root of all of the dreams and aspirations come from the camp values, written in the clouds and stars.

Sam Lubow, the Camp Art Specialist, created this piece to represent her love for Camp!

Camp Livingston

Camp Livingston, a Jewish residential youth camp, enriches the lives of its campers and staff by providing a fun, unique, community experience, while encouraging the development of Jewish identity within a safe and inclusive environment. Camp Livingston enables the formation of lifelong friendships and provides the opportunity to participate in exciting recreational and creative programming. Not only is Camp Livingston a dream place to be, but we also dream of Camp (the fun, our friends, a yearning to return) all year round. At Camp, we make amazing memories that we hold onto for a whole year until we are able to return and make them again. These memories show up in conversations, in photos, in interactions with friends new and old, and even in our dreams. As one of our favorite campfire songs says: “When nighttime comes and we see the stars in the sky, they bring summer right back to us, reminding us of our favorite place to be.”

Chaverim M’Israel

In our drawing, we wanted to present our arrival to Cincinnati, and the way we bring Israel here! We combined the Israeli tradition of sleeping inside the sukkah and the theme of dreams together with the dream of connecting Israel with Cincinnati. Through the Israeli tradition and holidays, we hope to emphasize the connection with the Israeli culture. Inside of the sukkah, we have all the four species– lulav (palm branch), hadas (myrtle), arava (willow) and etrog (citron)–and other sukkah decorations together with the Israeli, American, and Ohio flags symbolizing that we’re connecting Israel here.

Our names are Shiri and Shaked. Both of us are taking part of a delegation that brought us from Israel to Cincinnati for the next year to create a connection with Israel. Because of that, we started thinking about this project when we were still in Israel. We had two days to complete the painting, so we decided early on about what we wanted to include. We decided that the two most important things we wanted to include are the Sukkot traditions and the goal of creating a strong connection between Israel and Cincinnati. We decided to emphasize that connection through our arrival here.

Chuck Folzenlogen

I’m an oil painter. I joined the JCC for the gym facility, which included a subscription to their monthly publication where I read the Under One Roof Sukkah Art Exhibit article. I am not Jewish and saw this project as an opportunity to learn more about the Jewish faith while testing my ability to be creative and transform a blank canvas into a vision that tells a story and makes a statement. My website is ChuckFolzenlogen.com.

As for the theme of Dream - a dream is a series of images which generate an emotion. Much like a dream, my goal with every painting I create is to capture a moment in time that spoke to me and try to translate and express what I felt in the form of an oil painting.

After spending some time researching the Jewish harvest festival of Sukkot, I decided my dream would be an oasis, symbolizing a joyous end to the forty years the Israelites spent wandering through the desert. The late afternoon shadows cast upon the sand dunes represent the sun setting on a harsh period in history. It depicts Jewish people coming from all directions to unite as one and celebrate the precious resources an oasis has to offer, while a brilliant blue sky and sun shining on distant sand dunes signifies a bright future for the Jewish people. I tried to include some of the elements of the Sukkot festival, such as sukkahs with people gathering for a meal, as well as the tradition of waving the lulav and etrog.

Note: I typically paint from photographs I take. In this case, I found many different images online while researching Sukkot and incorporated pieces of each into one painting which helped me express my vision.

Cincinnati Community Mikveh

Dreams.

The dreams our parents had for us, that we have for our children, and that they have for their children—to build a Bayis Nehman B’Yisroel, a home faithful to our Jewish beliefs.

Today, our shared Dream is to witness the Bais Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, built in our time. May this be the year we experience this promised Dream.

Cincinnati Skirball Museum

We preserve and interpret a rich collection of fine art and artifacts that tell the vibrant story of the Cincinnati Jewish community and global Jewish history, religion, and culture through thoughtful core and temporary exhibitions and engaging public programs for visitors of all faiths.

Children of Jerusalem: Painting Pain Dreaming Peace

When the second intifada (an armed uprising of Palestinians against Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip) broke out in the fall of 2000, virtually all coexistence programs between East and West Jerusalem came to an abrupt halt. The ones who suffered most from the daily exposure to violence were the children whose after-school activities were curtailed or stopped. In that same year, a unique program was developed by The Institute for the Study of Religions and Communities in Israel to bring elementary school children—Arabs and Jews, Palestinians and Israelis— together with art teachers in a setting of pleasant creativity that promoted cognitive abilities and social skills, mutual understanding and friendly relations. Through a three-year curriculum, the program was designed to give voice to the children, to offer them the opportunity to express their emotions in art, to reduce hostile feelings and restore their dreams. The more than 150 works of art in this collection are from the 2000-2003 and 2007-2010 iterations of this remarkable program and formulate a gift to the Skirball Museum from The Institute for the Study of Religions and Communities in Israel.

When the theme for this year’s Under One Roof was announced, the works in this remarkable collection came immediately to mind. Both the words and the art of these children—Arabs and Jews, Palestinians and Israelis—are poignant and heartfelt. Their hopes and dreams still resonate 13 years after the last iteration of the unique program.

Congregation Zichron Eliezer

Jacob’s Dream

Jacob dreamt of a ladder reaching up to the Heavens, with Angels ascending and descending. Our Sages tell us that this Dream occurred on Har Hamoriah, the place where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob prayed to Hashem, and the future site of the Bais Hamikdash, our Holy Temple.

Today, our Synagogues are called a Bais Hamikdash Me’At, a place where a small taste of the holiness present at the Bais Hamikdash can be found.

Our shared Dream is to witness the rebuilding of our Bais Hamikdash speedily in our lifetime.

Ella Martini

My piece is called Dreaming on the Inside. I used acrylic paint and paint markers to create this piece. The young woman I painted is dreaming of all the inspiring, diverse women who changed the world for the better and left important pieces of knowledge that are planted in the young woman’s brain. This knowledge will grow within her to shape her into what she is to become in the future. She will change the world for the better, too.

Eric George Tauber

I interpreted Dream to refer to inspirations and aspirations. This piece, Neshamót aytánu besukkáh means “Souls with Us in the Sukkah.”

The figures depicted here are a handful of people who have left their mark on our collective imagination. Their words and actions, their souls, dwell among us. They encourage us to pursue scientific knowledge. They urge us to pursue justice. They inspire us to add to the shelves of literature and The Great American Songbook. They entertain us, showing us how to find joy in the happiness of others. And they teach us that Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) means standing up for others. Finally, the last face says, “YOU ARE HERE.” How will you leave your mark? What will you contribute to the generations who come after you?

Friendship Circle Cincinnati

Our mission is to provide organized programs emphasizing socialization that build lifelong friendships and connections, offer respite and support, and bring joy and meaning to children of all abilities, Jewish teens, their respective parents, volunteers, and the Jewish community at large.

At Friendship Circle Cincinnati, we dream of a world where everyone belongs; where everyone is welcome; where everyone is celebrated; where everyone is encouraged to be themselves; where everyone has supportive friends. The artwork, in the lower section with the three exclusive groups, shows how we often feel the world is now. The closed circles with like or very similar colors within demonstrate the way that the world labels and separates people by arbitrary means to exclude others who are unlike the “in” group. In this case, we used color as the differentiator, but it could be any of the ways the world separates and labels us—gender, age, religion, a specific skill set, race, (dis)ability, or any of the other various things that make us unique. Ironically, many of the things for which we are labeled are completely out of our control to change in any way. We dream of a world where all are welcomed and included, which is shown by the variety of colors, lack of a firm border, and the arrow pointing the way into this inclusive “community” toward the top of the piece. It is a joyous celebration of color, inclusive of all, and welcoming to all. This is the world we dream of and are building, one pair at a time, at Friendship Circle Cincinnati.

Golf Manor Synagogue

Mission: To grow and sustain a welcoming synagogue community that sanctifies G-d’s name by providing for the spiritual, social, and educational growth of a diverse membership.

While contemplating how to design the panel for this year’s theme, Dream, I immediately thought of clouds. Later, a Psalm came to mind describing the dream-like state of returning from exile. When we recite grace after meals on Shabbos and Yom Tov, we add the preliminary Psalm 126. It is known as a “Pilgrim’s Song” and has been attributed to the return of the Jews from Babylon. This psalm has also been described as a glimpse into the future as we return to Eretz Yisrael from this final exile. I painted the dark clouds parting to show the returning light of our eternal Bais HaMikdash. The psalm continues, “Then they will say among the nations, G-d has done great things for them. G-d has done great things for us. We are glad.”

Habitat for Humanity Greater Cincinnati

Our Mission: Seeking to put G-d’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope.

Our Vision: A world where everyone has a decent place to live.

“ My goals and dreams for my family are to provide a place they can always call home.”

– Aisha, a new Habitat homebuyer

At Habitat for Humanity Greater Cincinnati, we dream of a world where everyone has a safe, affordable place to live. So far, we have built nearly 700 homes in our community with the support of our volunteers, donors, and staff. By creating a collage of photos from the past 25 years, we hope to showcase those who have been a part of the Habitat Cincinnati family and demonstrate the long-lasting relationships we share with our homeowners and within our community. Whether it be homebuyers, volunteers, or employees, all those involved with Habitat share our desire to empower through shelter.

To learn more or get involved, visit our website www.habitatcincinnati.org.

Hadassah

At Hadassah, we have the power to heal our world. For us, that means bringing healing in every sense of the word, where it’s needed most, in the U.S., Israel, and around the world, every day – as volunteers – as philanthropists – as change makers. For 100+ years, Hadassah has worked proactively to find and implement solutions to some of the most pressing medical challenges facing each generation. Together, we’re advancing women’s health, supporting a strong Israel, and instilling Jewish values in future generations.

At Hadassah’s two hospitals and clinics in Israel, outreach programs in the United States and throughout the world, our dreams are turning into reality. As we fight hate and anti-Semitism, we fight for peace and harmony. We serve all regardless of religion, race or nationality.

Artist Stephanie Williams became a lifetime member of Hadassah at the age of 11. In high school, Stephanie participated in helping victims of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes in New Orleans through Young Judaea. This program offers thousands of American youth summer camp activities, Israel programs, year-round activities, and volunteer experiences.

Halom House

Halom House, Inc. provides 24 hour and drop in services to adults with developmental disabilities. Our residential support services include three types of support: Group Home, Supportive Living, Respite Care.

The residents discussed the fact that the Hebrew word for dream, Chalom, is the name of their house, which is also known as Dream House. We discussed what they love and appreciate about Halom House, their safe place and community. Debbie said friends, Amy said her room, and Marcie said staff, friends, and food. So, our panel expresses their gratitude for living in their own dream home.

Marci Rosen, Halom House Resident

Marci expressed her dream of a new space colony, where people can live together in harmony and peace and there will be a Halom House on the space colony.

Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion

Do You Believe in Dreams? - Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, born in Bohemia in 1819, came to America, and in 1846, accepted a rabbinic position in Albany, NY.

Tell Me Your Dream - His dream was to unite American Judaism. He innovated: a shortened service, mixed gender choirs, mixed seating and a weekly sermon.

Dream - In 1854, he came to B’nai Jeshurun (IM Wise Temple). In Cincinnati, he was able to make his dreams come true.

I Am an American - He established a newspaper, The Israelite, to promote his ideas across America. In 1857, he published Minhag Amerika, an American prayerbook, but his biggest idea was to create a school to train American rabbis.

The Impossible Dream - In 1873, leaders from 28 congregations met in Cincinnati to establish the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, whose mission was to establish a seminary.

You Won’t Be Sorry - In 1875, Hebrew Union College held opening exercises at Plum Street Temple. Those first students studied in the basement of Mound Street Temple until 1880 when HUC moved to West 6th Street.

Reach For the Moon - Rabbi Wise was a national voice for a unified American Judaism. During his 46 years in Cincinnati, he never stopped working toward that goal!

My Ohio Home - Rabbi Wise’s ultimate dream, creating Hebrew Union College, has led to the ordination of thousands who have gone on to serve the Jewish people in America and around the world.

Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise will always be remembered as a rabbi who made DREAMS COME TRUE.

Thanks to HUC’s Klau Library and the American Jewish Archives for their help creating this banner.

Home Base

At Home Base, a new Jewish after-school program for elementary-age students at Wise Temple, our students have begun to form a kehillah (community). To live and learn in an intentional community is one of, if not the most, important values and goals of Home Base, recognizing that we can all live fuller lives when we combine our independent needs with communal needs. As we encouraged our students to think about the importance of community and the dreams we have for our community, we composed a rainbow on our sukkah panel, symbolizing the hope we have for celebrating one another as individuals while supporting one another through connection and inclusion. Within the rainbow, each child and teacher traced their hand and designed a handprint featuring their favorite people, animals, objects, and more. Students incorporated the words “hope” and “smile” -- two things we desire for ourselves individually and communally. We centered the words “We Dream Together” on our panel to as well to emphasize that our unique and shared dreams can only be actualized with the strength and support of our kehillah.

Human Rights Commission, Amberley Village, OH

Mission: To combat discrimination and for the guarantee of equality and inclusion, the Human Rights Commission formalizes Amberley Village’s public policy to safeguard the right and opportunity of all persons to be free from all forms of discrimination and to provide for an inclusive community for all residents, businesses, and visitors.

The Human Rights Commission is composed of five volunteer lay leaders who are residents of Amberley Village. The Commission gathered input from other Amberley Village residents at the annual summer ice cream social. Each leaf represents a person’s thoughts/dreams for our community. There are unique dreams and there are some dreams that are shared by many people. We are proud to participate in Under One Roof.

The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives

The American Jewish Archives (AJA) is the largest free-standing repository dedicated to the preservation and study of the American Jewish experience. Since its founding in 1947, the fundamentals that have secured the AJA’s longevity remain: to collect and preserve the history of American Jews and make accessible the rich details of the American Jewish experience in a way that is accurate, innovative, and informative.

Last year marked fifty years since Sally Priesand was ordained as the first female rabbi in North America (HUC-JIR, Cincinnati, 1972). As a child, she dreamed of teaching Judaism to others and entering the rabbinate was the fulfillment of that lifelong dream. This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963) where Rabbi Joachim Prinz (1902–1988), a refugee from Nazi Germany, spoke passionately of his dream to see racial equality in America. Finally, the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) is celebrating its 150th anniversary. When it was founded in 1873 as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), its dream was a united Judaism that could plant deep roots in American soil, a land of “religious liberty” and limitless promise.

Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

Art by: Christine Doyle

Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati serves the burial needs of the Greater Cincinnati Jewish community with care and dignity and honors the resting places of our people.

Loveland Cemetery Pine Path: Dreams of Summers Past

At JCGC’s Loveland cemetery, the pine path, part of the Foundations of Our Future installation, is a beautiful place for quiet reflection. The light filtering through the pine trees onto the pebble path might remind one of summers spent at a wooded campground or of family hikes through a scented forest.

Jewish Fertility Foundation

Jewish Fertility Foundation’s vision is that all who aspire to build a family can realize their dream. We engage hopeful parents by providing financial assistance, emotional support, and infertility education.

We recognize that there are many different pathways to parenthood. One in six Jewish individuals experience medical infertility. The Jewish Fertility Foundation was founded by Elana Frank in 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia, expanded to Cincinnati in 2019, and is now in seven cities. JFF provides grants for expensive fertility procedures, as well as free emotional support and education.

Dreaming about having a child can be exciting, and the dream can also be very painful. We honor and acknowledge those whose dreams come true after trials and sometimes devastating losses. We also hold space for those whose dreams never came true, and those who perhaps are still waiting and dreaming. We see you.

A note from the artist, Sarah Bridges, JFF Intern 2022-2023: When brainstorming for this painting I thought of many different items that first come to mind when I think of babies—like toys, baby bottles, pacifiers, etc. I also wanted to use clouds to depict a dream, so I put the baby items in the clouds to represent how the Jewish Fertility Foundation helps those struggling to build their families achieve their dream of having children.

Jewish Family Service Center for Holocaust Survivors

Edward Gershanov, Client

At the heart of my participation in this exhibition is a personal mission - to honor the bright memory of my beloved grandmother. Guided by the threads of my grandmother’s Yiddish stories, I tried to breathe life into the symbolism and deep meaning of the Hamsa, a sacred emblem that is inextricably linked to the story of Miriyam, the venerated sister of Moses. What makes this aspiration even more poignant is that my own sister goes by the name Miriam, creating a deep connection that infuses Hamsa with a deeply personal and familial resonance.

With every stroke of my brush, every careful placement of the cloisonné, and infusion of the vibrant hues of cloisonné, I strive not only to depict, but to encapsulate the very essence of this intricate story. I want you to feel how this Hamsa turns into a reverberant channel, a channel that harmoniously unites generations, stories and souls through time and tradition.

Since the Dream exhibition is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Israel’s independence, my work is a tribute to dreams, aspirations, and interconnectedness that transcend borders and epochs, a testament to the deep and motivating power of creative expression.

In August of this year, I turned 89 years old. I am a Holocaust survivor and client of the JFS Center for Holocaust Survivors.

In my works, I use the art technique of cloisonné enamel. This painstaking process involves working with plywood or pressed cardboard. The basis of this technique is the creation of partitions carefully sculpted from fine wire, carefully shaped and positioned to outline intricate design elements. These baffles are securely attached to the base with precise application of superglue.

The next step in the process is to fill the compartments created by the wire with bright enamel in a varied color palette. This liquid enamel shimmers delicately inside the wire partitions, creating a discreet and harmonious composition. Enamel, when heated, undergoes a transformation, hardens and acquires a shiny glassy surface, embodying the essence of craftsmanship.

To ensure the durability and brilliance of the finished product, the enamel is then protected by applying a nitro-lacquer. This last step not only preserves the vibrancy of the colors, but also gives the product a one-piece glossy sheen.

Jewish Family Service Center for Holocaust Survivors

Elizabeth Chudnovsky, Client

My mission is to illuminate the indomitable human spirit through artistic storytelling. Through painting, I seek to capture the essence of life intertwined with survival, perseverance, and the pursuit of artistic expression. This exhibition not only celebrates Israel’s remarkable journey towards the 75th anniversary of independence, but also highlights the universal themes of resilience and creativity that transcend time and boundaries.

With every stroke of the brush, I try to capture the aspirations and dreams that have shaped my own unique path.

Menorah

I was born in Kyiv, and my age surpasses 95 years. I am a Holocaust survivor. I am a client of the JFS Center for Holocaust Survivors.

I always aspired to become an artist, but circumstances took a different turn. After undergoing heart surgery, I found solace in painting and embroidery, but never found myself to be a professional artist. Throughout my life, I encountered many trials—enduring hunger in my youth to battling tuberculosis. Despite the challenges and twists of fate, I continue to engage in my beloved craft.

In the spirit of this exhibition’s theme of Dream, my work embodies dreams that fuel my continued commitment to artistic pursuits. These dreams echo the collective dreams of a nation that thrived against the odds, embodying the unwavering spirit of a people united in hope and determination. It is my hope that this Under One Roof exhibition will serve as a source of reflection, inspiration and dialogue, inviting every visitor to explore their own dreams and take steps to realize them.

I invite you to plunge into the history of my creation. Even though I never got to visit Israel, which has remained an unattainable dream for me, it holds a deep place in my heart. When I had the opportunity to take part in this exhibition, the main symbol for me, the Menorah, immediately materialized in my imagination. This iconic emblem encapsulates the essence of my aspirations and embodies the essence of Israel’s unwavering spirit. The Menorah, radiating light against the background of darkness, becomes a metaphor, a beacon of hope and unity, embodying the resilience of the nation and the universal human desire for peace and light.

I express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to this exhibition, a manifestation of my admiration for Israel. Let my work serve as a bridge between all of us living in different parts of our planet. Am Yisrael Chai!

Jewish Family Service Center for Holocaust Survivors

Stanley Slomovits, Client

I tried to frame my reflections in the concept of Aliyah, the journey that each of us undertakes, characterized by boundless hope and the pursuit of our aspirations. In the vast expanses of the desert, on the road leading to Jerusalem, we stand with hearts full of dreams, expectations, and aspirations, and the desert sands reflect our collective dreams and hopes.

As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of Israel, we think of the indomitable human spirit. Israel’s history is a testament to our ability to dream, foresee the future, and overcome adversity to pave the way for a better future. I invite you to walk the paths of time, connecting the echoes of bygone eras with the vitality of the here and now.

Born in 1943 in Constanta, my journey to Israel began in 1946, two years before the declaration of the state. Our arrival was hidden by a veil of night. I often think of the emotions other Jews felt as they made Aliyah, as they approached the climax of their journey with Jerusalem looming on the horizon. Probably, they all felt awe, inspiration, the fulfillment of an old dream, regardless of the method of arrival: whether it was crossing the desert, sailing on a ship, or arriving by plane.

In 1958, my parents decided to join their family in Ohio. A few years later, I returned to serve in the Israeli army. Throughout my life, my heart has remained unwaveringly attached to Israel. These days, I am watching the split in Israeli society with pain, and I really hope this crisis will soon be overcome.

Just as the rebirth of Israel materialized from the realm of dreams, I wish each of us the courage to take the liberty of dreaming, foreseeing a brighter future for our descendants.

JVS Careers

Our mission is to empower individuals from diverse backgrounds to obtain employment and build careers; and partner with employers to hire, develop, and retain productive workforces, all to strengthen the communities (we work in).

For most of us, we start dreaming of what life will look like once we leave the cocoon of grade-school days. We dream of being astronauts and veterinarians. Doctors and teachers. Some follow those ambitions, others change course. For this project, we wanted our story to tell the journey of what someone dreams of for their career once it has started: from college level, to beginning careers, to established careers, to near retirement. Each group had their motivations and challenges.

For the new college student, everything is fresh and not yet fully blossomed, but there is an eagerness to begin. For those in the beginning of their careers in the work force, achieving work/life balance was a consistent goal. For those who are established, they continue to climb mountains, aiming for what success means to them. And for those retiring, the dream was relaxation as the sun begins to set on their dedicated years of hard work.

The mediums chosen for this piece were acrylic paints, inks, and paint markers.

Kennedy Heights Arts Center

The Kennedy Heights Arts Center enhances the life of the surrounding community through arts and cultural experiences that embrace diversity, foster creativity, and build community. Through a wide range of arts and cultural programs, the Arts Center strives to promote community interaction across generations and all cultural and economic groups, spark community dialogue, and provide a venue where artists are nurtured and connected. KHAC also seeks to create opportunities for joyful discovery and collaboration and make the arts affordable and accessible to everyone. We’re proud that 100% of our programs are accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Inspired by the theme Dream and Kennedy Heights Arts Center’s mission of building community through creativity, the central theme of our panel highlights people’s unique ability to achieve more when they come together. In this piece titled Many People, One Dream, we recognize that our dreams can often seem unattainable and that the path to making them come true can have unexpected twists and turns. However, when we are part of a larger community, not only can we reach our dreams, but the winding road to manifesting those dreams becomes just as exciting and impactful!

Art by KHAC students and the following KHAC teachers: Kimberly J. Wilfong Sigman, Jennifer Melms, Russell White, and Mimi Richmond.

Majestic Care of Cedar Village

Resident artists were eager to explore the theme Dream through discussion and art-making for this year’s panel. During the brainstorming discussion group, individuals related experiences and images to the theme, during which the idea of incorporating dreamcatchers into a quilt emerged. The drawings seen here were created by residents from healthcare, assisted, and independent living. One resident commented, “Each design is different and shows the character of the artist.” The “quilt” culminates different perspectives, cultures, and experiences that residents bring to the Cedar Village community.

Mayerson JCC After Crew

We strive to help students develop skills, make new friends, build selfconfidence, and participate in activities that promote Jewish Values. We are committed to creating a valuable and safe environment.

The After Crew panel represents the dreams that we have for the future of the After Crew program. We hope to have the ability and space to accommodate more students at schools all over the city.

Fred Schnell, the Youth and Family Program Coordinator, put his heart and soul into this piece!

Mayerson

JCC Blue Jays Sports

The mission statement for our JCC Blue Jays Sports Program is an extension of our agency mission statement of connecting people. We do this through our Blue Jays Sports Program. This is especially true at our competitive games where parents, siblings, friends, and extended family attend games and cheer on the Blue Jays!

The panel shows a Blue Jays player standing on the grass on a sunny day with clouds in the sky. He is dreaming of throwing a fastball and striking out his opponent, hitting a game-winning home run, and the Blue Jays winning the championship!!!

Mikey Frank

To provoke conversation about our use of the planet, Gaia/Mother Nature/ Demeter/Shekinah provides all that Earth’s lifeforms need. Human beings have a huge impact on our environment. So do worms who create arable land and sea grasses who are valuable blue carbon sinks.

As Jews in partnership with the divine, we have a contract to value our beloved earth, and to not destroy.

Is the sun rising or setting?

Will we honor our contract with the divine? Could we have been chosen for this task? “If you will it, it is no dream.” – Theodor Herzl

Blue carbon—the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems—is an unsung ally in our fight against the climate crisis. Marine vegetated habitats like mangroves, seagrasses, salt marshes, and kelp cover just 0.2% of the ocean surface, but they contain 50% of the carbon sequestered in marine sediments.

Most OutGROWing LLC

Art by: Adoria Maxberry

Most OutGROWing is an organization focused on helping others grow beyond expectations and develop their purpose through the arts. We inspire, create and grow through art.

Like a tree planted by the water, Most OutGROWing, is an organization deeply rooted with firm beliefs and guiding principles to help others establish their place on this earth. Focusing on the pillars of design, retail, education, and events, Most OutGROWing LLC is on a mission to help you grow through art! Follow us on socials or visit www.mostoutgrowing.com!

The concept of dreaming brings so many beautiful illustrations to mind. This piece was inspired by artist Adoria Maxberry’s children lying in bed sleeping. There were so many dreams that have now turned into reality and fueled creativity you see in the murals and artwork we have created throughout the city! Don’t stop dreaming, don’t forget you have dreams that the world needs to become reality so they will be blessed.

Rockdale Temple

As we enter our Bicentennial, Rockdale Temple has done much reflection on our history; we are celebrating our present and vibrant community, and we are dreaming big to ensure the future of this sacred community for generations to come.

Designed by artist Melanie Kraus, our Sukkah Panel was decorated by our Kehal Kodesh Religious School community. The main image is of the shofar blowers statue that stands tall at the entrance of Rockdale and has for many generations. The shofar call brings us together in community, it rouses us to action, and it reminds us of the importance of our Judaism. We asked our young people to share what they love about Rockdale and what their hopes are for Rockdale’s future. It is for them that we celebrate and dream for our next 200 years.

Rockwern Academy

At Rockwern Academy, we expand minds, celebrate Judaism, nurture community, and commit to building a better world. Our school fosters curiosity and problem-solving, and we encourage students to be imaginative and fearless in their pursuit of knowledge.

Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s artistic imagery and resilient spirit, our submission is called Dreams of Awe: Embrace Wonder. We asked our third through sixth grade students, “What do you dream about?” and they painted and created individual dream bubbles and butterflies for the canvas. The classes read the book Frida by Jonah Winter while creating the artwork.

This book helped students identify themes such as hope, freedom, peace, love, and family. They utilized bright, bold colors that emulated Kahlo’s work and shared their dreams for the future. We invite you to explore our students’ artistic contributions, embrace wonder, and always stay curious.

Staff facilitators: Diane Woloshin (K-6 Art) and Julia Weinstein (Librarian).

Lead student assistants: Michaela, Ada, and Rachel.

Shomrei Olam – Jewish Environmental Advocates of Cincinnati

Shomrei Olam’s genesis in 2015 is in response to the ever-present environmental existential crisis. Caring for the environment is steeped in our Jewish heritage. We bring it front and center as our planet continues to get warmer daily, our resources become ever more depleted, and we continue to create immense amounts of waste. Our three main tenets are: To guide, educate, and advocate; To protect the environment for future generations; To assist the community in making decisions with intentionality to further the good stewardship of our world.

“If you will it, it is no dream; and if you do not will it, a dream it is and a dream it will stay.” – Theodor Herzl

We must have the will to do what is necessary to protect the environment. We are blessed with beautiful views of the Ohio River. We picked this as our backdrop based on its familiarity and importance to our region.

Our dream is for our community to choose to take good care of the environment based on two biblical imperatives: 1) l’ovdah ul’shomrah (Genesis 2:15) which we understand as to tend and keep the Garden of Eden which has been bestowed upon us and, 2) bal tashchit (Deuteronomy 20:19) Do not destroy.

While the context refers to protecting fruit bearing trees in the heat of battle, this imperative can be extended to all of nature and our surroundings. It is the dream of Shomrei Olam that we collectively step up to our responsibility for the environment and that we become a leader in the greater community for collective stewardship.

Stacey Bie

This is the stress dream that we all have in one form or another. I asked many people about their dreams and in common they had a dream where “stress” was the main emotion. Some of those dreams took place in a school, sometimes in a courtroom or an office. This picture portrays the emotion in an airport setting. Maybe it is not the Dream theme that some had in mind, but it is a pictorial of a very common dream that we seem to share.

Susan Klug Kahan

I am an individual artist and am enjoying participating in Under One Roof, which pushes me to work outside of my regular areas and allows me to participate in community. www.susanklugkahan.com.

The theme of Dream had me stymied for a while. Then I conceived of creating a dreamlike scape, evocative of a possible landscape, and weaving words through it. I chose aspirational words that would bring us closer to the kind of society, country, and world I believe we should not just dream about but work to achieve.

Temple Sholom

Art by: Donna Tukel

Having been given the theme, Dream, the process of association for me was immediate, from I Have a Dream spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr. to Jacob’s ladder. As a teenager in the 1960s, the news was dominated by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the assassinations of King and John and Robert Kennedy. These events are permanent parts of my childhood memories.

A trip to Israel in 1971, when I was a college student, was like being in a dream come true. Israel was a beautiful new Jewish country, not yet a quarter century old, thriving despite her adversaries.

Jacob’s ladder represents the desire to make your dreams come true through whatever effort it takes.

And finally, justice, an essential belief of Judaism, is too often still a dream for those who seek justice for all people and our planet.

Theatre at the J

Theatre at the J, spearheaded by Eliana Rantz, provides an outlet for creative expression and creates a safe space for children to find their place in the arts community, all while forming lifelong friendships and strong connections within the community.

Theatre at the J has seen incredible growth since its inception in January 2022. Our program strives to make theatre and the creative arts dynamic, immersive, inclusive, and accessible to all. Our panel, designed by Lizzie Kibler and painted by Eliana and her theatre students, features a microphone to amplify the voice of the children to achieve their theatrical dreams.

Our panel was painted by several student artists: Asher Reiss

Ella Karito

Elle Wallace

Izzy Rantz

Liat Rantz

Nechoma Miriam Stern

Uriah Rantz

Visionaries + Voices

The mission of Visionaries + Voices as an inclusive arts organization is to provide creative, professional, and educational opportunities for adults with disabilities.

One dream that many artists share is to have a piece hang in a museum, where the public will be able to see, appreciate, and be inspired by their art. At Visionaries + Voices, we decided to create our own dream museum, filled with miniature works of art from the artists who attend both V+V studios. The miniatures represent works of art that an artist dreams will one day hang in a museum like the Louvre or the Museum of Modern Art, or illustrate something that the artist dreams for their own future, such as peace, joy, and love.

Strengthening Jewish Cincinnati

Presenting ---------------------------------------- Horizontal logo - 1” or smaller ----------------------------------------

learn more please visit MayersonJCC.org/UnderOneRoof

sponsors,

The mission of the Under One Roof Sukkah Art Exhibit is to create community, connection, and conversation. The artworks and statements created and submitted are those of the participants; they do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Mayerson JCC, staff, board,

or volunteers.

Funded in part by: Strengthening Jewish Cincinnati