JAI Events

I'm doing a work-in-progress performance Sunday, January 29th of my play The Dig: death, Genesis + the double helix here in LA at the Skylight Theatre as part of the InKubator series of the Katselas Theatre Company.

The play is about an American archaeologist who is summoned to a dig in Jaffa, the ancient Arab-Hebrew city at the southern tip of Tel Aviv. They've found something – something that could change everything. She's the only one who can tell them what it is. 

And she's traveling in the wake of her own mother's death. And there's a lizard in her bathtub.

The play was initially commissioned by John z"l and Ruth Rauch of the Center for Jewish Culture & Creativity. They sent me to the Middle East to explore. This year it will have its US premiere.

I hope you can join us, Stacie 

The January 24th Jewish Artists Initiative meeting hosted by JAI artist Elizabeth Bloom and her husband, David Reisbord, was particularly well attended with over 40 people, including 30+ artist members.

The evening's agenda included a review led by Ruth Weisberg of our final grant report, which was submitted to the Jewish Community Foundation and concluded our 2008 Cutting Edge Grant. The report included a summary of the tremendous success JAI had as a grant recipient. We held sixty-two public events from August 2008 through December 2011 and an estimate 1,670 people attended these events. In addition, JAI planned and carried out seven ambitious Israeli artist exchanges, several in collaboration with the Federation’s Los Angeles/Tel Aviv Partnership. As a 'Cutting Edge' grantee, our organization nearly doubled its size going from 35 members in the fall of 2008 to our current 67 members. We also gave an update on the progress being made in transforming ourselves into an independent 501(c)3 organization as well as advantages to partnering with 'Jumpstart' which specializes in helping Jewish non-profit organizations. One of the highlights of the evening was the distribution to members of our highly anticipated and very handsome publication: "A Gathering of Sparks - JAI 2004-2011".

Another highlight of the meeting was a studio tour by Elizabeth Bloom, which included viewing the new configuration of her ambitious, and deeply affecting multi-panel piece, entitled Lamentations and Jubilations. Other work she also shared included rarely seen early portraiture and still life pieces. There was also a special lecture by guest Sara Ferdman Tauben, visiting Canadian author and art historian who spoke eloquently on the history of Montreal synagogue architecture. (See a brief bio of Tauben below.)

Author Sara Ferdman Tauben has academic degrees in History, Art History, and Judaic Studies, and diplomas and professional experience in Fashion Design and Interior Design. A volunteer in the Montreal Jewish community for over thirty years, her leadership has been recognized with both the Young Leadership and Distinguished Leadership awards. All of these interests, experiences, and skills came into play in her investigation of Montreal's early synagogues and the story that she relates in her book: Traces of the Past-Montreal's Early Synagogues (Vehicule Press), is available at Amazon as well as through Indigo Books.