
There is a classic expression that asserts “when cannons roar the muses fall silent.” In times of distress and upheaval, creativity and art may falter. However, there are always those artists who quietly and stubbornly continue their work no matter what the circumstances. The recent exhibition “Jewish Art in Ukraine: The Torah in the Paintings of Yevhen Roytman” offers an example. The show was held at the Museum of the History of Kiev, sponsored by the Kyiv city government and with the support of the Jewish community of the city. The Museum presented the Torah project as a series of paintings that illustrate renowned Biblical subjects. The artist and poet Roytman believes that humanity, and in particular Ukraine, is living through a complex historical period. There is a fundamental epochal change happening. Sharp conflicts of opinion erupt. The old ways of life are being challenged, ruined, and discarded. This powerful process affects the consciousness of people and fundamentally alters viewpoints. In order to take advantage of and sustain such changes, society needs to believe in truth, justice, and morality. For the Jewish people, the Torah is a source of these understandings. The sacred texts guide the Jewish people through the […]