How a Jewish Artist Created One of the Best Places To Observe Lent
Image by Tobikahn.com
By Talya Zax March 15, 2016
Apparently it is Lent and has been since February 10th. In The Guardian’s somewhat belated move to honor this period – or, perhaps, a “we’re nearly there, don’t lose your focus” bit of motivation – this past weekend that paper’s “Christianity” section published an intercontinental list of spaces, holy for various reasons, likely to inspire to spiritual contemplation. Sneaking onto the list at number 8, attached to New Harmony, Indiana’s MacLeod Barn Abbey, is New York-based Jewish artist Tobi Kahn’s sculpture “Shalev.”
“‘Shalev’ frames the landscape, and indeed creation, as a gift,” Aaron Rosen wrote in the Guardian’s piece. “Viewed from different angles, its protean form seems to shift, promising transformation.”
“Shalev,” the title of which combines the Hebrew words for peace (“sha”) and heart (“lev”), was installed in 1993. Placed next to the Wabash River, it consists of a 12-foot-high rectangular arch in rose granite framing an ambiguously featured human form in bronze. When the river annually floods, the sculpture appears to rise out of the water. With the advent of spring, no matter your religion, it makes for a striking, spiritually resonant image indeed.
Talya Zax is the Forward’s culture intern. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter, @TalyaZax.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 3
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
- 4
Opinion I first met Netanyahu in 1988. Here’s how he became the most destructive leader in Israel’s history.
In Case You Missed It
-
Fast Forward Deborah Lipstadt says Trump’s campus antisemitism crackdown has ‘gone way too far’
-
Fast Forward 5 Jewish senators accuse Trump of using antisemitism as ‘guise’ to attack universities
-
Fast Forward Jewish Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky reportedly to retire after 26 years in office
-
Culture In Germany, a Jewish family is reunited with a treasured family object — but also a sense of exile
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.