The Arts

When most people think of Safed, two things immediately come to mind, aside from the city’s sheer beauty and vistas, perched as it is atop Israel’s Upper Galilee region: Jewish mysticism and art.

Sarah Goldblatt’s father, Yossi Melamed, was a huge admirer of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memory. So much so that he made a career out of taking pictures of the Jewish leader.

Yisroel Amar has grown up always on the lookout for ways to reach and inspire ever more people. All of 13, he’s seized upon the gift of an angelic voice as his preferred medium for channeling Jewish teachings and uplifting audiences in his corner of South Florida and beyond.

One of the most-widely attended Jewish film festivals in the United States shined a spotlight on the lives of religious women this week, treating all-female audiences to screenings of a uniquely feminine work of art and a chance to get to know the film’s director.

Organized by the Chabad House for Students of the Arts, the all-women’s event drew a crowd of 100 to a Philadelphia auditorium and showcased a section of the market that typically receives short-shrift in today’s fashion-conscious world.

Rivka Eilfort is an 18-year-old chassidic singer and songwriter, whose parents serve as Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries in southern California. She sings deep, mystical lyrics while playing the guitar like a natural star.

Each week, about 200,000 people around the world sit down to watch the “Living Torah,” a 15 to 20 minute video magazine program built around the teachings and impact of the Rebbe.

By 3:00 in the sunny afternoon, already 750 people were perusing art, snacking on kosher hot dogs and chicken, and sipping cold beverages on the lawn as Jewish bands played on the stage. And the second annual Jewish Music and Art Festival still had four more hours to go.

One of the most ancient tales from the Torah has been illuminated in the newest style of CGI animation.

Robin Garbose, the Jewish director who earned headlines for her female-only screenings, is at it again, scheduling showings of her latest film in 11 American cities over the upcoming Passover holiday.

Rabbi Shmuel Gopin isn’t your typical rabbi. On any given Sabbath, he can be found presiding over synagogue services, but on the second Saturday night of each month, he’s right next door at an art gallery, welcoming Jewish visitors to one of Miami’s newest hotspots.

At a table surrounded by swaying bearded Chasids singing a wordless melody sits a rabbi dressed in white, his long white beard and white head covering completing the ensemble.

Chasidic artist Michael Mordechai Cohen celebrated his East Coast debut as he unveiled a series of pop-influenced spiritual prints at the J. Klaynberg Gallery in the New York City neighborhood of Chelsea.

The special 30th-anniversary Chabad “To Life” Telethon will air live from Hollywood, Calif., this weekend, bringing together host Larry King and dozens of other celebrities and performers in support of Chabad-Lubavitch of the West Coast’s numerous educational and nonsectarian social service programs.

When the Old City Jewish Art Center first opened its doors and started featuring local artists, as many as 1,000 people stopped by over the course of an evening.

A North Texas Jewish center played host to a modern art show, highlighting its less-than-conventional style in giving locals outlets to explore their heritage.

Representing cities throughout Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the “Children Draw Chabad” competition included original artwork by junior and senior high school students, many of whom had never visited the places they depicted.

A just-released video that is being screened by Jewish communities around the world chronicles a 1972 Chasidic gathering made famous by a request from the Rebbe to open 71 new Chabad-Lubavitch institutions in the ensuing year.