Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (the day of Atonement), and the ten days in between are known as the High Holy Days. Hence, the “high” nature of my whimsical piece.
The silliness stands as the piece’s most obvious asset, but there are deeper layers of tradition and modernity within. While these ten days are to be used for personal introspection, they are also the time for many Jewish congregations in the United States to “fish” for members and to “reel” them in. The shofar is traditionally sounded during the High Holy Days to wake us up from our routine habits, and I have placed it at the bottom, a signal that its sound gives birth to the start of the membership season.
The piece is not just about the commercial nature of these holy days. The shofar and Menorah are ancient and modern symbols of Judaism, and I bring them together to depict the strengthening of Jewish identity and solidarity through congregation, the end result of the temple’s membership drive.
Menorah, fishing pole, animal horn, tripod, chain
108 x 30 x 30 in.
[Hover over the image to magnify it]