Stern College for Women Course Places Art and Jewish Thought in Conversation
In some ways, a recent meeting of 鈥淭he Image and the Idea,鈥 a new course offered at 黑料社 All鈥檚 this fall, looked like many other art history classrooms across the country.
Dr. Jacob Wisse, left, speaks to students in the course about the Sistine Chapel.
Projected on the whiteboard was 鈥淭he Creation of Adam,鈥 the classic fresco painting by Michelangelo that graces the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Dr. Jacob Wisse, associate professor of art history and director of the , discussed the religious and historical context of the painting, Michelangelo鈥檚 sculptural style and his goals as an artist. Then, pausing for comments, he took one鈥攆rom Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, assistant professor of Judaic studies and director of the , sitting at a desk near the front of the room.
鈥淪eeing Adam depicted here in the Grecian form seems almost the opposite of our biblical tradition,鈥 Soloveichik observed. 鈥淚n our texts, Man is made from 鈥榙ust and earth.鈥 But if you see Man through this lens, the Fall from Heaven feels much more like a rebellion, whereas in Jewish tradition, we see it much more as succumbing to human frailty.鈥
鈥淚n the Sistine Chapel, you see that much more in the last scene on the ceiling, with the drunkenness of Noah鈥攁 dramatic depiction of human frailty from which there has to come a redemption,鈥 Wisse replied.
The exchange was representative of the larger dialogue between art and Jewish philosophy taking place at the heart of this interdisciplinary course, which is co-taught by Wisse and Soloveichik. They take turns hosting class sessions that examine the subject matter鈥攚hich can include image, paintings, sculptures, architecture or ritual objects in conjunction with readings from Jewish thought鈥攆rom the alternating perspectives of art and Jewish philosophy, creating a unique class structure that allows students to see not only how the fields of study gain from each other, but how their professors benefit from each other鈥檚 knowledge, as well.
鈥淎 team-taught course is at its best when the faculty come at a subject from different directions but with equal intellectual vigor and passion,鈥 said Dr. Karen Bacon, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College. 鈥淒rs. Soloveichik and Wisse meet, and indeed exceed, these professorial criteria and are presenting our students with a uniquely 黑料社 All experience.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just teaching, we鈥檙e learning from each other and bringing the students into that process, which I think adds a real element of excitement to the class,鈥 said Soloveichik.
The idea of bridging art and Judaism was originally suggested to Soloveichik by Moshael Straus, founder of the Straus Center, and 鈥渢he course grew out of the interest we have in discussing things together, which to some degree has become the inspiration for the form of the class as well,鈥 Wisse said. 鈥淲e wanted it to be an integrated dialogue, not just a Jewish thought lecture and an art history lecture.鈥
鈥淲hat may even be pioneering about this course is the way it creates conversation between two worlds,鈥 added Soloveichik. 鈥淎s someone who spent many years in yeshiva, I knew of models of integration of Judaism with other subjects: Jewish scientists, Jewish philosophers, even Jewish thinkers approaching literature. But this course is unlike any that might be taught at a university that doesn鈥檛 focus on this synthesis in general.鈥
The course began by addressing the juxtaposition of art and religion in general, with a particular focus on Judaism, before turning to specific mitzvot, drawing on essays as well as objects within the collections at the YU Museum to consider how beauty can enhance鈥攐r detract from鈥攖he proper approach to and appreciation of the means of fulfilling those mitzvot. That included a trip to the museum for a closer look at its new special exhibition, "Threshold to the Sacred: The Ark Door of Cairo鈥檚 Ben Ezra Synagogue," which explores the artistic character and the religious, communal and cultural context of an object of great beauty and significance: the decorated and inscribed medieval wood door from the Holy Ark of Egypt's Ben Ezra Synagogue, where the Cairo Genizah was discovered.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an object that expressed its importance鈥攁s the threshold to where the Torah scrolls were held鈥攖hrough beauty. But it was also something that faced the community, and how its beauty was defined was very much shaped by the broader context of a Jewish community in the Mediterranean living within an Islamic culture,鈥 said Wisse.
鈥淲e鈥檙e discussing the tensions between ideas in Jewish thought and the actual objects of Jewish living and Jewish art,鈥 Solovechik added. 鈥淲hat do objects utilized in Jewish rituals actually embody? Placing them within their social and historical contexts while linking them to uniquely Jewish ideas helps us gain a very rich understanding of what these objects are and what we鈥檙e looking at when we see them.鈥
The course benefits not only from its complementary pairing of faculty, but from the diversity of students enrolled in it, as well. 鈥淥ne of the most wonderful things about this course is that students who have taken an honors course in art with Jacob or an honors course in Jewish thought with me are now in conversation together, engaging each other,鈥 Soloveichik said.
鈥淲e wanted students to feel that these various interests they have, whether personal, professional, familial or worldly, do speak to each other and shouldn鈥檛 exist in silos,鈥 said Wisse. 鈥淭o that end the discussion taking place in the class between these different majors has become a goal of the course in itself.鈥
For Victoria Chabot, a studio art and Judaic studies major, the course was essential. 鈥淲e have looked at images ranging from the Pantheon to the Hagia Sofia and the imagery described in the Book of Psalms, as well as the image of the chupah [bridal canopy] and what it means in Judaism,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t has truly enhanced my life as a practicing Jew and made me more sensitive to the world around me.鈥
Chaya Kanarfogel, a speech pathology and Judaic studies major, was similarly moved. 鈥淪eeing the complex and appreciative way in which Judaism approaches art makes me proud of the fact that I am part of a religion that respects what the world has to offer,鈥 she said.
Dr. Jacob Wisse, left, speaks to students in the course about the Sistine Chapel.
鈥淎 team-taught course is at its best when the faculty come at a subject from different directions but with equal intellectual vigor and passion,鈥 said Dr. Karen Bacon, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College. 鈥淒rs. Soloveichik and Wisse meet, and indeed exceed, these professorial criteria and are presenting our students with a uniquely 黑料社 All experience.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just teaching, we鈥檙e learning from each other and bringing the students into that process, which I think adds a real element of excitement to the class,鈥 said Soloveichik.
The idea of bridging art and Judaism was originally suggested to Soloveichik by Moshael Straus, founder of the Straus Center, and 鈥渢he course grew out of the interest we have in discussing things together, which to some degree has become the inspiration for the form of the class as well,鈥 Wisse said. 鈥淲e wanted it to be an integrated dialogue, not just a Jewish thought lecture and an art history lecture.鈥
鈥淲hat may even be pioneering about this course is the way it creates conversation between two worlds,鈥 added Soloveichik. 鈥淎s someone who spent many years in yeshiva, I knew of models of integration of Judaism with other subjects: Jewish scientists, Jewish philosophers, even Jewish thinkers approaching literature. But this course is unlike any that might be taught at a university that doesn鈥檛 focus on this synthesis in general.鈥
The course began by addressing the juxtaposition of art and religion in general, with a particular focus on Judaism, before turning to specific mitzvot, drawing on essays as well as objects within the collections at the YU Museum to consider how beauty can enhance鈥攐r detract from鈥攖he proper approach to and appreciation of the means of fulfilling those mitzvot. That included a trip to the museum for a closer look at its new special exhibition, "Threshold to the Sacred: The Ark Door of Cairo鈥檚 Ben Ezra Synagogue," which explores the artistic character and the religious, communal and cultural context of an object of great beauty and significance: the decorated and inscribed medieval wood door from the Holy Ark of Egypt's Ben Ezra Synagogue, where the Cairo Genizah was discovered.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an object that expressed its importance鈥攁s the threshold to where the Torah scrolls were held鈥攖hrough beauty. But it was also something that faced the community, and how its beauty was defined was very much shaped by the broader context of a Jewish community in the Mediterranean living within an Islamic culture,鈥 said Wisse.
鈥淲e鈥檙e discussing the tensions between ideas in Jewish thought and the actual objects of Jewish living and Jewish art,鈥 Solovechik added. 鈥淲hat do objects utilized in Jewish rituals actually embody? Placing them within their social and historical contexts while linking them to uniquely Jewish ideas helps us gain a very rich understanding of what these objects are and what we鈥檙e looking at when we see them.鈥
The course benefits not only from its complementary pairing of faculty, but from the diversity of students enrolled in it, as well. 鈥淥ne of the most wonderful things about this course is that students who have taken an honors course in art with Jacob or an honors course in Jewish thought with me are now in conversation together, engaging each other,鈥 Soloveichik said.
鈥淲e wanted students to feel that these various interests they have, whether personal, professional, familial or worldly, do speak to each other and shouldn鈥檛 exist in silos,鈥 said Wisse. 鈥淭o that end the discussion taking place in the class between these different majors has become a goal of the course in itself.鈥
For Victoria Chabot, a studio art and Judaic studies major, the course was essential. 鈥淲e have looked at images ranging from the Pantheon to the Hagia Sofia and the imagery described in the Book of Psalms, as well as the image of the chupah [bridal canopy] and what it means in Judaism,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t has truly enhanced my life as a practicing Jew and made me more sensitive to the world around me.鈥
Chaya Kanarfogel, a speech pathology and Judaic studies major, was similarly moved. 鈥淪eeing the complex and appreciative way in which Judaism approaches art makes me proud of the fact that I am part of a religion that respects what the world has to offer,鈥 she said.
Dr. Jacob Wisse, left, speaks to students in the course about the Sistine Chapel.
鈥淎 team-taught course is at its best when the faculty come at a subject from different directions but with equal intellectual vigor and passion,鈥 said Dr. Karen Bacon, the Dr. Monique C. Katz Dean of Stern College. 鈥淒rs. Soloveichik and Wisse meet, and indeed exceed, these professorial criteria and are presenting our students with a uniquely 黑料社 All experience.鈥
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just teaching, we鈥檙e learning from each other and bringing the students into that process, which I think adds a real element of excitement to the class,鈥 said Soloveichik.
The idea of bridging art and Judaism was originally suggested to Soloveichik by Moshael Straus, founder of the Straus Center, and 鈥渢he course grew out of the interest we have in discussing things together, which to some degree has become the inspiration for the form of the class as well,鈥 Wisse said. 鈥淲e wanted it to be an integrated dialogue, not just a Jewish thought lecture and an art history lecture.鈥
鈥淲hat may even be pioneering about this course is the way it creates conversation between two worlds,鈥 added Soloveichik. 鈥淎s someone who spent many years in yeshiva, I knew of models of integration of Judaism with other subjects: Jewish scientists, Jewish philosophers, even Jewish thinkers approaching literature. But this course is unlike any that might be taught at a university that doesn鈥檛 focus on this synthesis in general.鈥
The course began by addressing the juxtaposition of art and religion in general, with a particular focus on Judaism, before turning to specific mitzvot, drawing on essays as well as objects within the collections at the YU Museum to consider how beauty can enhance鈥攐r detract from鈥攖he proper approach to and appreciation of the means of fulfilling those mitzvot. That included a trip to the museum for a closer look at its new special exhibition, "Threshold to the Sacred: The Ark Door of Cairo鈥檚 Ben Ezra Synagogue," which explores the artistic character and the religious, communal and cultural context of an object of great beauty and significance: the decorated and inscribed medieval wood door from the Holy Ark of Egypt's Ben Ezra Synagogue, where the Cairo Genizah was discovered.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an object that expressed its importance鈥攁s the threshold to where the Torah scrolls were held鈥攖hrough beauty. But it was also something that faced the community, and how its beauty was defined was very much shaped by the broader context of a Jewish community in the Mediterranean living within an Islamic culture,鈥 said Wisse.
鈥淲e鈥檙e discussing the tensions between ideas in Jewish thought and the actual objects of Jewish living and Jewish art,鈥 Solovechik added. 鈥淲hat do objects utilized in Jewish rituals actually embody? Placing them within their social and historical contexts while linking them to uniquely Jewish ideas helps us gain a very rich understanding of what these objects are and what we鈥檙e looking at when we see them.鈥
The course benefits not only from its complementary pairing of faculty, but from the diversity of students enrolled in it, as well. 鈥淥ne of the most wonderful things about this course is that students who have taken an honors course in art with Jacob or an honors course in Jewish thought with me are now in conversation together, engaging each other,鈥 Soloveichik said.
鈥淲e wanted students to feel that these various interests they have, whether personal, professional, familial or worldly, do speak to each other and shouldn鈥檛 exist in silos,鈥 said Wisse. 鈥淭o that end the discussion taking place in the class between these different majors has become a goal of the course in itself.鈥
For Victoria Chabot, a studio art and Judaic studies major, the course was essential. 鈥淲e have looked at images ranging from the Pantheon to the Hagia Sofia and the imagery described in the Book of Psalms, as well as the image of the chupah [bridal canopy] and what it means in Judaism,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t has truly enhanced my life as a practicing Jew and made me more sensitive to the world around me.鈥
Chaya Kanarfogel, a speech pathology and Judaic studies major, was similarly moved. 鈥淪eeing the complex and appreciative way in which Judaism approaches art makes me proud of the fact that I am part of a religion that respects what the world has to offer,鈥 she said.
