Rabbi Shawna, left, and Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik hold their tools, a yad and an Exacto knife — as they prepare for a session of their Paper Midrash program. Photo courtesy of Paper Midrash.
SCHENECTADY–Isaac and Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik, a husband and wife team, will feature Paper Midrash at Temple Gates of Heaven, the weekend of Dec. 5 and 6. The free programs are open to the community, 18+ adults and teens over 16, and will be held at the temple, 852 Ashmore Ave., Schenectady. No experience or “artistic ability” is required, all materials are provided.
Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik cuts up comic books and reassembles them into papercuts that explore the stories of the Jewish people, connecting popular culture with sacred texts. He has shown his papercuts in galleries, and has commissions in museums, synagogues, hospitals, and private collections. He speaks and writes about the intersection of art and Judaism, and is on the executive board of Jewish Artists Initiative, committed to fostering visual art by Jewish artists and promoting dialogue about Jewish identity and related issues. His wrork has been featured in print and online, including recent articles in The Forward, The L.A. Weekly, Cleveland Jewish News, and KCET’s “Artbound” series.
Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik adapts traditional Jewish concepts to a modern Reform context, and brings that synergy to students. She received a master of Hebrew Letters in 1998 from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, and was ordained in 2002 as a member of HUC-JIR’s first Los Angeles class. The rabbi is adjunct faculty in the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s Los Angeles campus, and is adjunct rabbi at Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, Calif. Before starting Paper Midrash she served as an associate rabbi at a Southern California congregation for 15 years. She has been a member of the faculty of URJ Camp Newman since 2008 and was Porter Creek Site director in the summer of 2019.
The program, “An Erev Shabbat Visual Sermon” a Chanukah related program, will consider the Maccabees and other superheroes and isslated for Friday, Dec 5, at 7 p.m.
Isaac and Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik will lead the Torah study on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 9 a.m. to noon in a program entitled, “Torah Study with Knives.”
Information may be obtained by calling 518-374-8173.
