Why is shabbat
meaningful to you?
The smell of chicken soup simmering on the stove, the first bite of warm challah or the light emanating from the lit candles, these
are just a few ways that Shabbat can bring joy to a Jewish life by disconnecting from a busy week.

As a way to share in the day of rest as a community, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia is hosting Shabbat Gatherings
across the region in honor of Israel’s 75 th anniversary on April 28-29. From large community Shabbat events to young adult groups
to private functions in homes – everyone is invited to participate in the collective Jewish experience.

“Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish community will join together with Jews around the world to blend countless different customs
into one Shabbat as we celebrate yet another milestone illustrating the resilience of our people,” said Max Moline, director of
community development at the Jewish Federation.

In anticipation of these community-wide celebrations, we asked some of the event leadership why Shabbat is meaningful to them.

“Shabbat is meaningful to our
family, because it provides a
regular opportunity to connect
with each other and with our
community while temporarily
disconnecting from work and
school. We enjoy making each
Shabbat unique with themed
meals and by talking about the
weekly Torah portion.”
Yoella Epstein & Jeremy Kriger
Israel 75 Shabbat Gatherings Chairs
Meredith & Stephen Moss, Israel
75 Shabbat Gatherings Chairs
“Shabbos is also a time for me to be with family. I am
blessed to be able to have Shabbos dinners with my
wife and my 95-year-old father. Every Shabbos, I sing
the Aishes Chayil, A Woman of Valor, to my wife as a
way to thank her for everything she does for me and
how we have built a life together.”
“Shabbat is a break from the busy week, providing quality time
for us to be together as a family. We love sharing our Shabbat
traditions, like freshly baked challah and a kiddush fountain,
with friends and then leisurely eating Shabbat dinner together.

Between the light from the candles and the joy around a table,
Shabbat gives us joyful, Jewish experiences as a family.”
Nason Russ, Israel 75 Shabbat Gatherings Committee Member
Lysa Puma, Israel 75 Shabbat Gatherings Committee Member
Ready to share the meaning of Shabbat with your
neighborhood? In honor of Israel 75, join the Jewish Federation
by celebrating Shabbat in Greater Philadelphia with your
family, friends and community on Friday, April 28 and
Saturday, April 29, 2023 at israel75.jewishphilly.org/shabbat.

10 “Shabbat is a time for our
family to all be together and
share things that happened
during the week. We like
inviting friends over to
enjoy the special dinner and
Jewish traditions together.”
APRIL 20, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT



YOU SHOULD KNOW ...

Gavi Weitzman
Sasha Rogelberg | Staff Writer
Courtesy of Gavi Weitzman
C reativity is the heartbeat that brings Judaism to life for Gavi
Weitzman. The 24-year-old Philadelphia Moishe House resident has
found Jewish community through music, art and adding levity to
tradition. “Jewish text, I think, is so rich, and ritual itself is also such a vast
expanse of things … Doing art about it makes me feel more connected
to it and makes me want to understand it more and to engage with
it,” Weitzman said.

Nestled near Rittenhouse Square, Moishe House is commit-
ted to bringing together young Jews and connecting them to an
ancient religion and culture through programming rooted in modern
sensibilities. Since moving into the house in September, Weitzman has helped
organize a musical havdalah with Philadelphia Jewish music educator
Marni Loffman. In December, she
planned a prom-themed Chanukah
party, dubbed Promukkah. Hosted at
Congregation Mikveh Israel, the event
had gelt, a photo booth and homemade
hors d’oeuvres catered by Weitzman
and her friends. About 120 people
showed up.

“That event was probably the biggest
thing we’ve ever done and exemplifies,
I think, our approach to events, which
is very playful and fun,” she said. “And
everyone wants an excuse to put on a
fancy dress.”
Weitzman attends the South
Philadelphia Shtiebel for Shabbat
services, a community that mixes
Orthodox Jewish traditions with
progressive practices, such as having
a woman spiritual leader in Rabbanit
Dasi Fruchter.

“I am interested in exploring the
fringes of Jewish spaces, if that makes
sense, the more progressive, more
open and more questioning spaces,”
Weitzman said.

Though originally from San Diego,
Weitzman spent her teenage years in
Bala Cynwyd, growing up in a Modern
Orthodox household. She left the city
for college and studied studio art at
Washington University in St. Louis’
Sam Fox School of Design and Visual
Arts before returning to Philadelphia.

As she looked for Jewish community
outside of her immediate Orthodox
upbringing, Weitzman attended a
Passover seder at the Philadelphia
Moishe House. Within six months, she
moved in with her Jewish roommates-
turned-best friends.

“I thought I would give myself a lot of
agency in my own life,” she said. “And
I am someone who really thrives when
they’re put in a leadership position.”
“Moishe House was the perfect
fit for me and was a great way to
meet people outside of the traditional
Orthodox world,” she added.

As a visual artist, Weitzman contin-
ues to play with her Judaism and
Orthodox upbringing. She’s particu-
larly interested in hair in the Jewish
context and the relationship between
hair, femininity and Jewish tradition,
which sometimes treats hair as beauti-
ful and something to be covered to
maintain modesty.

Hair, because of the random and
infinite configurations in which it can
fall, makes it an exciting medium.

From sculptures to prints and collages,
Weitzman features the material by
adding disembodied curls and locks
to her pieces. She wants to press
her viewers to question when hair
goes from beautiful and flowing to
something gross or undesirable, like
clumps clogging a shower drain.

Weitzman has explored themes of
femininity, beauty and Jewish ritual
by adding hair extensions to kippot
and crocheting a bikini in the shape
of kippot and adding accompanying
tzitzit to the garment.

Most recently, Weitzman partic-
ipated in an apprenticeship at the
Fabric Workshop and Museum, where
she created “Hair Paths.” The piece
is a large-scale series of screenprints
where curly locks of hair are stamped
in red on a blank canvas. Weitzman
toyed with turning these prints into hair
coverings. “Once you get married, there’s a
custom for covering your hair,”
Weitzman said. “And I was thinking
about, what does that feel like? What
does that do to you, when you look
in the mirror and you don’t look at
your own hair, or you look at someone
else’s hair, or your hair is covered, how
does that feel?”
Weitzman’s pieces may be subver-
sive, but they’re hardly sacrilegious.

Like her other creative pursuits,
Weitzman’s art is a way to engage with
her Judaism and dig deep into rituals
and culture, finding a way to make
being Jewish meaningful and relevant
to her and other young Jews.

“That, I feel like, is a prime example
of being playful, but also starting a
serious conversation about gender
and gender roles in Judaism,” she
said. ■
srogelberg@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
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