Three weeks before LimmudNY, my Zeek co-worker and I – attempting to be responsible and organized – sent an email to the powers to ask if we could organize a small art exhibit at Kutshers. In addition to being an outlet for innovative Jewish writers, Zeek has a growing contingent of amazing contributing artists – and we wanted to share them (damn it!) with the 800 or so Jews who would be milling around from room to room.
The 300 or so emails that ensued after our original inquiry went something like this:
“Great idea, but there really isn’t a great space for it.” Oh.
“ Great idea but all the easels are claimed for sessions already.” Oh
“Great idea, but you can’t put anything on the walls…” Oh.
Not feeling particularly encouraged, we nearly abandoned ship – but decided instead to pack up our rented car with art, drive it upstate to LimmudNY (damn it!) and see what we could finagle. We ended up scouting out a perfect corner in the lounge and setting up a surprisingly professional-looking exhibit. We even happened upon a closet filled with unclaimed easels, which looked like they’d been sitting there since my Bubbe called Kutshers her “summer home.”
The experience made me realize both the joys and frustrations of LimmudNY. With 800 people to plan for (800 Jews no less – hey, so maybe we’re a bit particular and, well, demanding.) saying “no” to one more logistical hassle must be a knee-jerk reaction. On the other hand, the opportunity at LimmudNY for spontaneous creativity, and guerrilla missions of innovation are endless – and often become the most memorable parts of the conference (at least that’s our hope for the art exhibit!). A larger metaphor for the Jewish community??
This entry was written by Leah Koenig who works for Hazon and Zeek Journal. In her spare time she writes New York City restaurant reviews at goodshmeats.blogspot.com. You can contact her at Lkoenig at yahoo dot com. We hope to bring you photos of the exhibit later this weekend.