Author: Moshe Dembitzer

Community Arts Project

Moshe Dembitzer

 

Holidays are an integral part of Judaism. Holidays in Judaism are times when family’s come together, busy fathers and mothers turn off their phones detach themselves from the outside world and focus on their children. Children put away their textbooks and IPads and become a part of the family again. Holidays are a time to transcend this materialistic earth and join into the realm of spiritualism. Of the 7 major Jewish Holidays, five are from the bible and two were established by the Rabbis. The three Holidays are comprised of: Sukkot (The one with the huts and Myrtle branches), Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and Shavuot. On the five biblical Holidays, we are not permitted to work which means no: TV, cellphones, driving, writing, using laptops, turning on and off lights, cooking and baking, and countless other restrictions.

I choose Holidays as my topic to investigate in my community arts project, since it plays a huge part in my life. I am Jewish, I am orthodox, and I am practicing. Holidays are the things that I look forward to most. I love when my family comes together, detaches from the outside world, and connect to each other. Each Holiday comes with its own sets of rules and rituals. Each ritual is an art form passed from generation to generation. One Holiday that has a particular set of rituals that take the art from the residential to the community is, Hanukah.

 

Hanukah is an 8-day Holiday in which the main ritual is the lighting of a 9-candle candelabra called a “Chanukiah”. The “Chanukiah” must be lit in a part of your house that can be seen from the street. When you drive through a Jewish neighborhood you are greeted by beautiful bright “Chanukiah” in the windows of all the homes. The resulting light that is cast from each house creates a masterpiece for the world to see.

 

As an insider in the light of the Chanukah Holiday, I decided to focus my project on it.  Ever since I can remember during the cold, dark winter months of December for 8 days the nights are illuminated. I have always taken for granted the fact that all communities are fortunate to have Chanukiah, since the people in my predominantly Jewish community have Chanukiah proudly displayed in their windows. After discussing with some of my peers I realized that many people had never seen a Chanukiah and those that had did not know the meaning behind the Chanukiah.

 

I read Hebrew texts on the history of Chanukah, to further expand my knowledge of the luminous Holiday. I discovered many aspects of the ancient Holiday that were previously unknown to me. I researched communities (using google) that had Chanukiah displayed in public. And I found out how some people who do not identify as “orthodox Jews” celebrated Chanukah. The biggest and coolest thing that I learned from this Project is the fact that the world’s largest public lighting of a Chanukiah occurs right here in NYC in central park.

 

Through my research I discovered that Chabad (a Hassidic sect of Judaism) lights Chanukiah in public places all across the globe. Some of these Chanukiah are on gondolas and some are made entirely of ice. The Chanukiah does not just light up Flatbush NY, but rather the entire globe. I discovered that not all Jews place candles or wicks in oil in their Chanukiah (as I saw in my community) but rather some people light electric menorahs where they turn on a switch to ignite their Chanukiah. I discovered the versatility and elections of Chanukah.

 

Chanukah to me has always been a Holiday with clear-cut rituals. In my family, we light 1 candle for each night of Chanukah (1st night 1, second night 2, third night 3… and so on). We only use specific kinds of “fire”, and are super meticulous that every man and unmarried woman lights their own Chanukiah. My friends and my family all had the same customs and rituals and thereby the same art form. After completing this project, I have come to realize that my previous small community comprised of Orthodox Jewish people has grown much larger. It now includes Jews from all different denominations and from all across the globe.

 

The Holiday of Chanukah is a Holiday of Light. The Conservative Jew “lighting” their electric Chanukiah spreads the same light that me and my orthodox Jewish community spreads. We are all one nation and all one community, connected by our faith and ritual. There is no Orthodox and “non-orthodox” there is only Chanukah. This new understanding of “one community” has allowed me to see all forms of Judaism as magnificent. I have realized that I too am eclectic and have a myriad of talents, and like a precious gem, all I need is a little light to make my colors shine bright.

 

This project was completed before December 12 which is when Chanukah started this year. I would have loved to survey a few different locations in NYC and observe the amount and variety of Chanukiah present. But sadly, since Chanukah didn’t start until after this project was completed I was forced to rely on internet research. Most of all I wish that I Would have been able to fly across the globe to a few different global locations to survey the amount and kinds of Chanukiah there. Even though these steps were not able to be performed before my community arts presentation. Over the past few days (December 12-19) I have gone with my family to a few neighborhoods in NYC and observed the Chanukiah there.

 

This project has taught me to be aware of the art in my community. I have learned to look around me at all times and observe the art. Now are the days of Chanukah and every time I look around me, I am greeted by art. This art has elevated Chanukah from an 8 day celebration, to 8 days of incredible art. What I am most grateful for having learned from this project is that, we all have light, we just express it in different ways.

 

 

 

Image

Moshe Dembitzer

 

My weight was always my private struggle, although it was always quite public. I reached a level of obesity that I cannot even fathom. I knew I was fat yet I did not think I was that fat. There was always someone who was bigger than me: in my class, in my neighborhood, in my family. I was not the biggest so it was ok. Anorexia nervosa is a well-known eating disorder; I had the reverse.

When a sufferer of Anorexia looks into a mirror they do not see their true body, they see a fatter version of themselves. When I looked into the mirror, I did not see a 237 pound morbidly obese me, I saw a beautiful skinny version of myself. I knew I was not super skinny but I was not that big either. This psychological deficit helped to perpetuate my ever-increasing waistband and BMI.

When I went out with friends I would not order a diet Snapple because I was not that fat. I did not need to go on a diet; I was perfect. My friends knew I was fat but they kept up the charade. They never told me I was fat, or maybe they did but I did not hear them. I was one hamburger away from developing diabetes. I was morbidly obese but what was worse was my blindness to the fact that I was obese.

Obesity kills hundreds of thousands and is the leading cause of: diabetes which is the 7th leading killer in the U.S (ADA), cardiovascular disease which is the leading cause of death globally accounting for 17.3 million deaths per year (AHA), and a myriad of other degenerative diseases. I was a prime candidate for these diseases. I was literally eating myself to death.

 

One day something clicked, it could have been anything. To this day I am not sure what caused the change. Whatever it was it changed my life forever. I told my dad I wanted to go to a nutritionist and lose weight. A week later I was standing on a cold metal scale -in a pale white office- looking down at the glaring digital numbers on the screen: 237. I freaked out, how was I that big? Something must be wrong the scale is broken, I am bloated, the gravitational force of the earth was off that day, I was not that fat.

After the initial consultation, I went to war with my mind. Every day was a battle, I am not skinny, I am not skinny, I am not skinny, I repeated that mantra over and over again. I eventually conquered my cognitive dissonance and was able to start on my “new lifestyle.” I was nervous and afraid that I would not be able to do it. I kept my diet a secret from my friends and family. The only ones who knew were my nuclear family and nutritionist.

After a few months of battling my disease, people started to notice that I was getting healthier. My private battle started to come to life. The people around me noticed my lifestyle change. I was afraid that people would judge me, instead, I got compliments and praise. Those kind words helped me through the dark days and tough times. When people saw I was struggling and helped that was the catalyst that let me triumph.

What I took most out of my experience was to share my problems and fears with others. If I am going through something alone I only have my strength to rely on. When I allow others to help it makes me that much stronger. I dealt with something that was privately killing me by using the strength of the public to eradicate the disease.

American Diabetes Association (ADA)-  http://www.diabetes.org/diabetesbasics/statistics/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

 

American Heart Association (AHA)- https://www.heart.org/idc/groups/ahamahpublic/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_470704.pdf

 

 

Fall For Dance

Moshe Dembitzer

I fell for dance. I never expected that I would, but I fell and I fell hard. To me dance was always an art form that I noticed, but never truly appreciated.  Fall for Dance showed me how versatile and incredible is dance. Through the use of different dance companies, many beautiful aspects of dance were portrayed. The Durance Dance company used tap dance to portray light and bright dance. The Miami City Ballet used slow and measured movements to create graceful dance. Vincent Mantsoe, in turn, showed us interpretive dance through his representation of a bird.  Finally, the Trisha Brown Dance Company showed us a futuristic dance. At the end of an incredible night, when the last act left the stage, the indelible imagines of swirling bodies and flashes of color were forever etched into my mind. The experience of feeling, not just viewing, dance will be something that I do not forget for a very long time.

 

Rubin Museum

Moshe Dembitzer

Sound, in my mind, is flat. Sound is a means of communication, a method by which animals communicate with each other. Sound is a convenient way to convey information from one organism to another. Sound is vibrations; Sound is limitless. Before I visited the Rubin Museum, I did not know just how incredible sound is.

 

Sound can be felt; sound can be seen. Sound is versatile and can be transmitted for eternity. Entire cultures and religions are built upon the tenet of sound. The Buddhist religion conveys prayer in one syllable “om.”  Its adherents chant it and use the sound of “om” to connect with their deities. Sound is always around us; Sound is effervescent.

 

Spending a few hours at the Rubin Museum not only opened up my eyes to this phenomenon, but my ears as well. The historical artifacts and interactive exhibits made the museum fun and exciting. It was wonderful to see how much culture, feeling, history, and emotion can be expressed in one exhibit. After spending a few, enjoyable hours at the Rubin Museum, I now understand: Art is Sound and Sound is Art.

 

 

Turandot- venue

Moshe Dembitzer

The Metropolitan Opera House at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is an incredible building. From the moment you walk through the grandiose entrance, you are welcomed by a sea of red. The thick, plush red carpets are an inviting cocoon that want to swallow your whole being. As you continue into the building, you start to grasp the true grandeur of the opera house. The winding staircases seem to stretch on forever. As you ascend the steps towards your seat, you pass vast expanses of space with exciting and eclectic outlets: restaurants, bars, bronze water fountains, marble sinks, and crystal chandeliers. The true size of the enormous building does not dawn on you until you enter the main theater.

 

The main theater is huge. There are four towering balconies, each containing hundreds of seats and one floor of orchestra seats. The immense gold curtains hug the enormous stage that seems to be able to encompass 50,000 people. Along the walls run hundreds of private booths for the fabulously wealthy. Each of the thousands of seats in the hall has deep and plush red seats that invite the attendees to sit back and relax. There are mini screens in the back of each scarlet seat that display the lyrical translations of the play. The mix of gold and red bright colors create a vision of an alien planet, a planet where anything is possible.

 

The Met Opera House is an incredible venue that helps to set the stage for the show that is about to be performed. The opera house helps to set the scene of the performance and transports you to a new world where anything is possible. The grand chandeliers that line the opulent ceiling are utterly incredible, but their true majesty only becomes clear once the show is about to begin; the chandeliers come to life and rise to the ceiling. The chandeliers are the culmination of the first act of the night, the theater itself.

Torch Song, the meaning behind the play.

Moshe Dembitzer

Torch Song Story

Torch Song is based on the Torch Song Trilogy. The original play consisted of three segments: International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery, and Widows and Children First. The play was written by Harvey Fierstein and it is an autobiographical account of his life. The original play premiered in January 1982. When it originally premiered, the play was inspirational and groundbreaking

The play that we saw was a revival of the original Torch Song Trilogy. It has a shorter run time and cuts out some pieces from the original play, thereby shortening the play time from almost four hours to only two and a half hours. The storyline is set in the 1970 and 1980’s, yet it still resonates with us in 2017. The story is one that we can all empathize with: the search for love, the search for our true selves, and the search for acceptance.

Arnold Beckoff is an effeminate gay drag queen living in New York City. In the heart wrenching first act, we see Arnold find his stud, his one true love. After attempting to have a relationship with his new lover, Ed, his boyfriend decides to stay closeted and date a woman. Arnold is heartbroken that he is losing his perfect man, due to the fact that he is not a woman. This act portrays the heartbreak when people who are in love cannot be together due to: societal, political, or familial norms.

In the second act, “Fugue in a nursery”, we see the civilized mingling of Ed and his wife  (Laurel) with Arnold and his new lover(Alan). The scene is set in one big bed with everyone together. The bed symbolizes that they are in it together. In the sense that Ed and Arnold’s love for each other is affecting their new relationships. The scene was powerful in the sense that you see how superfluous Laurel and Allen are. They are the extra pieces of the intricate puzzle that did not need to be complicated. Ed and Arnold fit together perfectly but due to the rampant homophobia of the 1970s and 1980s, they were forced to be apart. This scene, although civil, showed the ramifications of Ed’s closeted lifestyle choice and Arnold’s longing for his lost “Stud”.

The third and final act is in some ways the most powerful. It shows Arnold grown up living on his own in Manhattan with a son (David) and mourning his lost love Allan. Arnold’s mother comes to town and her visit brings with it more baggage than her suitcase. We see Arnold and his homophobic mother’s (Ma) strained relationship. Arnold is happy and content with the life he has chosen, he followed his heart and lived proudly outside of the claustrophobic closet walls. We see that Ma loves Arnold very much and wants what she thinks is best for him. Arnold and Ma ultimately get into a fiery altercation. Through their angry words thrown at each other, we learn some valuable information, Allan was murdered in a hate crime. The heart-tugging scene that ensued was one of the most powerful scenes in the whole play. Arnold ends up telling Ma that if she can’t respect and love him then he doesn’t need her in his life “There’s one more thing you better understand. I have taught myself to sew, cook, fix plumbing, build furniture – I can even pat myself on the back when necessary – all so I don’t have to ask anyone for anything. There’s nothing I need from anyone except for love and respect and anyone who can’t give me those two things has no place in my life” (Fierstein 1982). This moment is a turning point in the play since Arnold opens up about his resilience and how he has learned to rely solely on himself. This is a super powerful message to, the audience, and the world, you do not need anyone else in the world for anything other than obtaining love and respect. People in our lives can be there to offer love and respect or for their own selfish purposes. This Message resonated with audience members in the 1970s and likewise in 2017.

At the end of the play, we see Arnold sitting on his couch clutching onto some valuable keepsakes. The options are endless, we as the audience don’t know how the story will end. Will Ed go back to Laurel? Or will Ed move in with Arnold and help raise David as his son. Will Ma ever come to fully accept Arnold and his lifestyle? These are all questions that will never be answered, yet they are not vital to the ending. Arnold is happy: he has a son, the possibility of a relationship with Ed, and for the first time in his life he feels as if he and his Mother have finally broken their veil of silence, and discussed his homosexuality. As the stage darkens, we all walk away enlightened, finally understanding the importance of love and acceptance in our lives.