Art inspired by tragedy offers hope

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The film “A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting” was shown at the New Jersey Film Festival on March 19 at JCC MetroWest along with an art show that aimed to inspire hope.

Before the film was played at the festival, an art show displaying various mosaics was displayed at the venue. Lisa Suss, visual arts manager, helped to organize the art show on display simultaneously with the festival.

“The first mosaics exhibit was held at Skirball Museum in Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 2022,” Suss said. “This is the sixth or seventh venue to host this art exhibit, and they’re looking for more venues to expand this exhibit across the country.”

The Gallery, “From Darkness to Light: Mosaics inspired by Tragedy,” was created to honor the lives lost during the synagogue shooting. The mosaics on display also attempt to inspire perseverance and hope for Jewish citizens.

The film ‘‘A Tree of Life’,” is a documentary about the 2018 mass shooting at the Tree of Life, or L’Simcha Congregation synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pa. Eleven lives were lost during the tragedy, both the film and art show serve to highlight the difficulty that the Jewish community is facing with the rise of antisemitic attacks.

Stuart Weinstock, the organizer of the film festival, talked about working with Suss to put this joint-project together and what it meant for the Jewish community.

“Lisa and I planned today’s joint gallery and film festival months ago and it has been a real pleasure,” Weinstock said at the event. “I am excited for all of you get into the gallery and learn from her, It is a measured response to the tragedy in Pennsylvania and a bright spot. Please reflect on the complex emotions that you may experience, take some time to reflect and we hope that you will emerge from this event with a semblance of hope for our community.”

Suss spoke about the campaign to rebuild the synagogue and the hope that has stemmed from this project for many individuals in the Jewish community.
“There is a very big campaign going forward to rebuild the synagogue and they will use some of the old building to add on to it and create an antisemitism center,” Suss said. “There is a lot of positive energy in this work, they express a lot of positive thoughts.”

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida also created mosaics to honor the victims in Pennsylvania. Stoneman Douglas High School suffered a school shooting in 2018 that resulted in 17 deaths and 17 injuries. That tragedy inspired the “March for our Lives” protest against gun violence and school shootings, in which over 1.2 million people showed up to advocate for gun restrictions.

After the film viewing, people could visit the exhibit or attend a film reflection session hosted by Susan Werk of the Agudath Israel Congregation.

“I watched the film last night on HBO Max, but then I watched it the second time and it is a totally different experience seeing it on the big screen,” Werk said during the discussion. “Seeing on the big screen definitely created more wear and tear on my soul. So, my first question is how are you feeling currently, what are your reactions to the film?”

People who saw the film and the art gallery shared their thoughts on how riveting the film and exhibit were, as well as their fears and frustrations for the Jewish community and for the United States as a whole moving forward.

“I have been involved with the film festival for many years and everyone is responding to it as viscerally as I am,” Debbie Lurie said at the event. “I cannot help myself but to recognize the power of art, as it has created the same reaction as many of us have had to Holocaust films. The goal is for all of us to experience this and reflect on what needs to happen to move forward productively as a country.”

Lurie also spoke on the necessity to protect people due to the likelihood of further attacks on the most vulnerable members of our communities.
“There was a famous poem by a Lutheran Pastor in Germany named Martin Niemoller,” Lurie said. “He said first they came for the socialists and then they came for the next group and the next group and so on. And if we do not speak up and protect those who are under attack, there will be no one left to protect.”