Art Helps Jewish Teens Work Through Conflict

It’s a warm and sunny day at the Alper JCC in Coral Gables, Florida. A large, white pop-up wall made from plywood stands tall under the shade of two trees, just across from the entrance to the popular gym used by locals of all ethnicities.

The 15-foot, double-sided wall will serve as a canvas for a troop of BBYO Teens and two professional ‘Artists 4 Israel’ team members to collaborate on not just a work of art, but a dynamic conversation and message of peace surrounding weeks of conflict between Israel and Hamas. The end goal is to hang the artwork on walls in the JCC. But the psychological and spiritual implications of creating give the Teens – all of whom engage in leadership roles – a tangible opportunity to explore what the previous weeks have been like balancing support of Israel and being a Jew in high school.

Freshman, Sophomore and Juniors work together to adorn one side of the canvas with symbols and phrases that mean “peace” to them. While on the other side of the canvas, two artists get to work on a more literal picture of the word “PEACE”, with a Star of David substituting for the letter “A”.

Tasked with defining peace and leaving no blank spaces, BBYO Teens took their time filling, spraying and doodling things like “N’Shamah” (the name of their chapter), “Peace”, “Love”, “Jew Pride”, pictures of olive branches, doves, trees, stars, rainbows and hand gestures. And of course, plenty of “Tik-Tok” video opportunities were taken as their vibrant designs came to life as a whole.

Following the workshop, BBYO staffers used the unique opportunity to facilitate a more in-depth dialogue with the Teens. “What pressures are you facing as a Jewish Teen”? “What can we as Jews living in the Diaspora do to help Israel during such a difficult time”? “How can we make our voice heard”? “Why is what we did here today so important”?

Tough questions provoke deep thought and time for reflection. While there are no perfect answers, the troop agreed: coming together proudly, loudly and peacefully in support of Israel through art or other means is more important than anything else.

Click here to learn more about Artists 4 Israel’s Painting Ideas. If you’re Interested in bringing Artists 4 Israel programming to your community, contact us.