This month Congregation Micah welcomes the dynamic duo “Paper Midrash” to town for an Artists-in-Residence program. Renowned visual artist Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik (brother of Mayim Bialik) and his wife, Reform Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik, bring Torah and Jewish traditions to life for all ages through the transformative power of art.
Micah’s Education Director Julie Greenberg shares, “I first discovered Paper Midrash in 2020 while searching for inventive ways to engage our teens online during Covid. We partnered for their Golem paper-cutting workshop and created meaningful totems of protection during a particularly uncertain and scary time. The experience was profound, helping us all explore our fears and hopes through the lens of Jewish teachings and artistic expression. From then I was determined to bring them to Micah in person, and I am delighted that we have finally willed that dream into a reality.”
Paper Midrash will first visit students at the Jewish Middle School for a hands-on workshop before settling in at Congregation Micah to usher in Shabbat during services on Friday, January 23rd. After their visual sermon that evening, to which the entire community is welcome, the congregation will begin work on their “Thumbprint Mosaic” tallit project depicting the Exodus and Am Yisrael.
Shabbat morning will bring adult learners together for their signature Torah Study with Knives papercutting session, further delving into Parashat Bo. Later for Havdallah, Isaac and Rabbi Shawna will take participants on another revealing journey entitled “Women of Valor and Other Superheroes”.
Sunday morning will include another one of their signature programs, “Street Art Prophecy”, for teens looking to connect traditional prophetic voices and values to the challenging world they are navigating.
“I am grateful to our generous donor who has made this uniquely compelling approach to Torah possible,” Greenberg added, “and we look forward to bringing Nashville closer to Torah through Paper Midrash’s artful and art-filled synthesis of deep scholarship and popular culture.”
Interested community members can learn more on Congregation Micah’s website: www.congregationmicah.org.
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