Shabbat Gathering: The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk.

Dear Chevrei, as is our custom, we will gather tonight at 5.45p ct to welcome Shabbat. These are the coordinates:

Zoom
Meeting ID: 883 8469 4181
Password: 822665
Phone: +1 312 626 6799

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Here we go.

Last weekend, I gave myself a too rare treat: I went to the theater with a good friend from synagogue. We saw The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk at the Forward Theater, part of the Overture center. The play tells the story of the love affair between Marc Chagall and his wife, Bella. Chagall and his wife were Jews and Vitebsk, their home town, which was a city in Russia and now is in Belarus. The play takes place at the beginning of the 1900s to 1944 when war, borders, science, and art were all in upheaval.

Bella and Marc Chagall.

Chagall might be the most widely known and respected Jewish artist of all time. It wasn’t just because he was a Jew, it was also because his subject matter and themes all contained Jewish imagery.

The play does not center Judaism except as a constant reason why Marc and Bella moved around Russia, Europe, and then finally land in America. It was refreshing to see a story where being a Jew is simply a matter of fact and not exceptionalism.

The play closed on February 11, 2024, so you don’t have an opportunity to see it. In 2020 the story was made into a movie, but I’m not smart enough to find out where (if) it’s streaming some place convenient. In 2017 the play was published and is available, but I don’t think it could come close to creating the experience of seeing the play.

From the play.

I hope you take advantage of Madison’s / Milwaukee's / Chicago's cultural offerings. Having lived in Arkansas for the last five years, the rich cultural life of Madison amazes me. It’s good for your soul to expose yourself to art and things greater than yourself. It keeps our lives in perspective.

And may it be for all of us a blessing.

See you tonight!
Gut Shabbes!

All my love,
brian.

PS

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