SECURITY

How does the issue of safety in Jewish spaces connect to broader conversations about safety, justice, and policing in the greater community? 

When does what makes some feel safe make others feel unsafe?

CURATORIAL STATEMENT BY LIORA OSTROFF

Marisa Baggett and Rebellious Anarchist Young Jews (RAYJ) invite us to recognize and name the connection between explicit white supremacist violence, white supremacy embedded in security systems, and historical antisemitic violence. In doing so, they also advocate for resilience and solidarity in the face of injustice and violence.

Marisa Baggett’s "Are You Jewish?" announces the personal, direct and painful impact of racial profiling and racialized security systems in Jewish spaces. You might consider: when does what makes some members of the community feel safe make others feel unsafe?

Ami Weintraub’s wheat paste poster, "L’Dor V’dor", names the connection between modern white supremacist violence at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh to historical antisemitic violence. It advocates for remembrance and resilience in the face of fascism. The work itself experienced violence; Weintraub writes, “Several days after these posters were put up, comrades noticed that many were torn off of the street signs in Pittsburgh with the Hebrew text purposefully slashed through.”

Featured artists

Painting with a white background and a Black person with gold necklaces, blue shirt, yellow headband, curly black hair, and swatch of red paint over eyes. At bottom are black shapes with the word "Jewish." On top are words "Pending Validation."

Marisa Baggett, Are You Jewish?, Acrylic on canvas, 2021

“My adult Jewish life has been spent fully immersed in a myriad of traditions and practices. These lenses provide a rich palette of colors - sometimes very quiet and sometimes teeming with chutzpah - that inform my acrylic works. Defined lines combined with splatters and smudges reflect the varying structures of my personal choices in Jewish observance as well as mirror the feeling of community (or lack thereof) as a black Jewish woman.”

-Marisa Baggett

 
Digital graphic with black background. In light blue and pink the word, "Disloyal" is repeated to cover the whole page. They are slanted and the OY in each of the words is a lighter color than the rest of the word.

RAYJ: Ami Weintraub, We Are The Disloyal Ones, Graphic art, 2019

“Rebellious Anarchist Young Jews (RAYJ) is a collective within the broader North American Jewish community. We aim to bridge gaps between the leftist, radical, and Jewish worlds. We bring people together to work for collective liberation and healing by celebrating our culture and enriching our traditions with anarchist principles. We engage in cultural organizing by creating spaces where we can exchange ideas, practice Jewish ritual, play, and build partnerships with one another. We focus on creating visual art and written pieces to share insights on the intersections of Judaism and anarchism. In everything we do, we are learning and growing.”

-Rebellious Anarchist Young Jews (RAYJ) Collective