The Politics of Art & Authenticity

Last year a couple of friends and I engaged in a project to restore an abandoned basement underneath our synagogue. It was quite an interesting endeavor considering that none of us had any experience in construction. We could barely unscrew the back of a remote let alone finish a basement.  Regardless we took on the project with the help of our Rabbi, an amateur contractor. There is one day in particular I will never forget, sheet rock day.

    One morning four of us waited anxiously for the sheet rock to arrive. None of us weighed more than one hundred fifty pounds and we were certainly not accustomed to getting our hands dirty. I even decided to wear loafers that day. The truck arrived carrying twelve sets of sheet rock weighing roughly one hundred pounds. Two of us climbed up and tried to slide the sheet rock off the truck. It would not budge. The floor was covered in sand and it was almost impossible to get any traction. The sand caused a lot of embarrassing falls. One hour later, our hands were covered with blisters and our clothes turned white.

We tried to angle the pieces of sheet rock through the door unsuccessfully. We sat around in despair trying to find a solution. We decided to call the rabbi and in five minutes he was standing by the front door box cutter in hand. It was exactly what we needed.  We cut the sheet rock into halves and carried it down the steps. For the next hour we worked like mad men. Not one word was said to each other as we worked.  Fortunately, we were able to get all the pieces inside just before the rain came down.

Although the entire process of building the basement was tough it has been the most rewarding feeling in the world to walk downstairs and say that I helped build it. I learned many important lessons on “sheet rock day” that will serve me throughout life. It taught me to always be prepared, to plan in advance, to stick with it no matter how tough it gets and above all never to wear your favorite loafers to a construction site.