ARTIST STATEMENT BY MARISA BAGGETT

The need for policing and safety in Jewish spaces often relies on split second threat assessments. I have been pulled aside to await “clearance” in Jewish spaces where I have worked and worshipped. Imagine being pulled aside and denied entry to a building you have a key to enter even though you have engaged repeatedly in the past with security and other gatekeepers. The “transgression”? Deciding to wear your hair in a natural state. We are challenged to ask ourselves how undue threat assessments obscure the sense of community for those that belong.

ARTIST STATEMENT BY MARISA BAGGETT

All Israel is responsible for each other.

- Talmud Shevuot 39a

This reminder that each of us - religious, secular, mystical, spiritual, cultural, and everything in between - play a part in the well-being of all Jews. As needed, we should tend to all of our communal needs including safety. This challenges us to draw upon our traditions both ancient and contemporary to seek solutions that ensure a hopeful future - the vitality of the Jewish people.