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Testimonial

Joani Rothenberg's art is both unique and participatory. Joani was commissioned to create a piece commemorating the JCC's 50th anniversary. The completed work now graces our main lobby and represents the essence of the JCC beautifully. Joani has a marvelous gift of visualization and a unique abilitiy to transfer that vision into magnificent art. She has touched many lives in a very positive and memorable way.

- Ira Jaffee, Executive Director, Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis

The eyes are thought to be the window to the soul. Joani Rothenberg's vibrant visual art forms have transformed the space and ambiance of our school's cafeteria and Cultural Arts Center. Pulsating a passion for Judaism in her every brush stroke, Joani's paintings explore the richness of Jewish text and tradition. More than a resident artist, Joani is a masterful teacher, nurturing and inspiring young minds while simultaneously modeling patience, perseverance, open-mindedness and creativity in color and design. I have been privileged to study Torah with three generations in Joani's family,an inexorable bonding of generations to their collective yet intensely personal Jewish heritage. Her contributions to the Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis are exhilarating testimony to the unity and eternity that is the Jewish nation.

- Miriam Gettinger, Principal, Hasten Hebrew Academy

 

Public Art > Murals > Rhapsody in Blue, Hasten Hebrew Academy

Murals 1 ... 6 7 8 9 10

“Rhapsody in Blue” is the third of my paintings on the essential elements of Judaism for the Cultural Arts Center of the Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis. The blue string worn on the traditional Tzitzit garment, hakanaf piteel techelet, symbolizes the cosmos and the seas—reflecting the call to the Torah’s commandments. These are the mitzvot that are inexorably woven into the enduring fabric of Jewish history, the Jewish family and Jewish celebration. The mural celebrates the interpersonal commandments, “mitzvot ben adam lichavero”, which underscore the inherent unity of the Jewish nation and its unalterable bond with the Divine as expressed through the Ten Commandments, hewn on the two tablets of stone. The piece was proudly inspired by the school’s Torah Fair, in which students were asked to research and then visually depict Jewish symbols and mitzvot.