 |
The Genesis: Conversations About Jewish Arts and CultureAuthor: Joshua Rose
We are right at the beginning of what some have called "The 21st Century Jewish Cultural Renaissance," and The Genesis is the podcast watching it unfold, in real time and up close. Each week Rabbi Josh Rose has a conversation with a different Jewish artist or cultural figure to explore questions of artistic creativity, individual Jewish identity, Jewish expression and how Jewish arts are reshaping what it means to be Jewish. Our main focus in on the artists from Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture, and Jewish artists in the Pacific Northwest. Rabbi Josh also engages national leaders (Rabbi Shai Held of Hadar, Seth Pinksy of New York's 92nd Street Y) about the broader world of Jewish culture. So, if you're interested in 21st century Jewish life, Jewish ideas, Jewish arts or just good conversation, you're in the right place. *The Genesis was originally a podcast of Co/Lab, founded by Rabbi Josh. Today the Genesis is a production of Art/Lab where Rabbi Josh continues to shape its unfolding. Language: en-us Genres: Religion, Religion & Spirituality Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
S3E39 Making Jewish Art & Making Jewish Community ? (w/ Eddy Shuldman)
Episode 39
Friday, 27 March, 2026
In this episode, I speak with Portland fused-glass artist Eddy Shuldman, co-founder of ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists, about the long path by which art, teaching, and Jewish life became inseparable for her. Eddy describes how she first turned to art not out of artistic ambition, but as a discipline of humility while working with at-risk youth: she wanted to keep learning hard things, failing publicly, and modeling perseverance for her students. That path eventually led her from stained glass to fused glass, where, as she puts it, the medium finally came alive for her. We talk about the technical unpredictability of glass, the spiritual intensity of working in a fragile medium, and the way Hebrew letters, liturgy, Torah, and Jewish memory become visual form in her work We discuss the (impossible question of) what makes art Jewish, how artists nourish one another in community, and why ORA has mattered so much in Portland Jewish life. Eddy reflects on ORA's origins, its role in creating exhibition and community space for Jewish artists, and the more elusive but more important work it does in helping people connect Jewishly through creativity. We also talk about a powerful piece she created during COVID in response to anti-Black violence, the spiritual process behind her work, and the way Jewish phrases, texts, and experiences can surface in art even when the Jewish content is not overt. Enjoy this conversation with Eddy Shuldman. Links Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture: artlabpdx.org ORA Northwest Jewish Artists: https://www.northwestjewishartists.org Eddy's Blogspot: https://sparksofspiritglass.blogspot.com Rabbi Goldie Milgram: http://www.reclaimingjudaism.org/
