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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 |
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S3E35 What Happens When A Jewish Artist Takes on Counterculture Pop Art? (w/ Steve Marcus)
Episode 35
Thursday, 26 February, 2026
My guest this week is Steve Marcus, a New York–based artist who's on our radar because he's currently on exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. His work is visually striking—sometimes funny, always interesting—and it's a genuinely profound engagement with Jewish ideas and identity through the language of pop culture. A lot of his aesthetic is rooted in the comic-book, counterculture world of artists like Robert Crumb and others who rose to prominence in the '60s and '70s, but Steve puts a distinctly Jewish twist on it. And if you're watching this on YouTube (as opposed to just listening on the podcast), you'll actually get to see some of the work—we throw images up on screen as we talk. In our conversation we get into Jewish pop, "kosher pop art," and Jewish futurity—what it means to make Jewish art and culture feel alive, contemporary, and relatable, especially for people who maybe didn't grow up with it but are open to it now. Steve is also deeply rooted in the Jewish tradition, and that comes through most clearly when we talk about learning. He does a lot of daily study. We talk about Daf Yomi—daily Talmud study—and he has a really interesting take on the very aspects of Talmud that some people find off-putting: the minutiae, the details, the endless specificity. He loves the discipline of doing it every day, and he's found real beauty in the details. We also talk about teshuvah—what it looks like for people who haven't been connected to Jewish tradition to return to it—and how his work is an expression of that process for him. If you haven't seen his show at the museum, I really encourage you to go. And one more reminder: the Portland Jewish Film Festival is happening right now. Head to the Oregon Jewish Museum's website—our partner in so much of this work—to see what's playing around town and what you can stream online. Enjoy my conversation with Steve Marcus, and thanks so much for listening. The Genesis: Conversations About Jewish Arts and Culture is conceived of and created by Rabbi Josh Rose, and is a program of Art/Lab: Jewish Arts and Culture. Theme music by Rabbi Josh Rose. Links: Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture: www.artlabpdx.org Oregon Jewish Museum Exhibit: www.ojmche.org/events/psychedelicatessen-a-powerful-dose-of-art-by-steve-marcus/ Artist's Website: www.smarcus.com 
