In remembrance of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel, Elon’s Jewish Life team organized an art exhibit to provide a meaningful way to mark the war’s one-year anniversary, according to Director of Jewish Life Betsy Polk. Hebrew professor and Jewish educator Boaz Avraham-Katz, along with his colleagues, wanted to offer Elon students a different perspective into life in Israel during a time of war through the showcased art.
“This is not about goriness and how horrible the world is. It’s about personal expressions,” Avraham-Katz said.
The capsule exhibition, “October Seventh,” included paintings, drawings, photographs and music. The artwork will be displayed until 8 p.m. Oct. 8 in the McBride Gathering Space in the Numen Lumen Pavilion.
The exhibit was set up displaying the different pieces of art in a circle, including a photo montage and music accompaniment. The work comes from the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv and is available for free online. At the end of the exhibit in Numen Lumen is a table providing pens and sticky notes for visitors to write any lasting effects or feelings.
Sticky notes describe visitors' thoughts after viewing the art exhibit displayed by Elon's Jewish Life team in the Numen Lumen Pavilion on Oct. 7.
Freshman Shira Nusinov, a student in Avraham-Katz’s HEB 1010: Modern Elementary Hebrew I class, recognized the songs playing at the exhibit, as her family has many of them downloaded. She remarked on the ability to feel the emotion of the songs despite a potential language barrier.
“Although I don’t know word for word what it means, you can feel the pain through the music,” Nusinov said.
Nusinov’s sister was studying abroad at the University of Tel Aviv last fall before she was sent home due to the attacks. Her sister, having been to other exhibits by the ANU museum, insisted she attend Elon’s exhibit. Nusinov said she was grateful to Elon for putting on the event because of the perspective it provided.
“You were surrounded by all of the art pieces in a circle. You kind of felt like you couldn’t look away, which is just how it is in reality,” Nusinov said. “On every social media platform, it’s there. It’s always in the back of your mind.”.
Assistant Director of Jewish Life Christy Brooks, Polk and Avraham-Katz all traveled to Israel within the past year. On their trip, they were able to meet with different Israeli and Palestinian families and leaders — including the President of Israel Isaac Herzog — and listen to their stories. While in Israel, they all visited the ANU museum and knew they needed to bring it back to Elon.
Professor and Jewish educator Boaz Avraham-Katz instructs his Hebrew 1010 students at the art exhibit in the Numen Lumen Pavilion on Oct. 7.
Polk reflected on her experience at the museum by describing a celebration for a graduating student amidst the somber exhibit. She said to her, this was representative of how the sadness and joy of life are often not separated. The ANU museum points out through the art that much of this idea is echoed by the contributing artists’ resilient creativity in the midst of war. Avraham-Katz paraphrased a quote from the exhibit describing this phenomenon.
“They say that, ‘When you hear the cannons roaring, the muses are quiet’. Not in this case,” Avraham-Katz said.