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RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS 
By TAHLIB
Each day, I watch from the window of my five-story Brownstone as a small stream of bearded men, covered from head-to-toe in black clothing enter a small Orthodox synagogue across the street. Even in this week's 90-degree heat, these adherents of Hasidic Judaism wear their black (or dark blue), heavy clothing and send a message of holiness --- a message not intended for me, but for the wearer. The color is a mystical affirmation of their inner spirit. What we wear has always been symbolic, and Brooklyn-based artist Michael Levin's exploration of Hasidic dress makes this very point. What we wear is a reminder to ourselves of who we are inside, and that makes "Eidah on Agudas″ (above) from Michael Levin's "Jews of Today" series my NEWS OF WEEK.

In other religious art news from across the USA, and around the world:
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Comments

Ernest Disney-Britton said…
Most everyday, I wear a blue shirt and a pair of black pants. It prompts many conversations, but it's more than a routine uniform. The colors are symbolic affirmations of my inner spirit. That is what I admire about this exploration by Michael Levine. Here in the Midwest, such outward reflections of spirituality or religiousity on the streets are generally frowned upon. We tend to look suspiciously as turbans, burqas, long-beards and even the black & white attire of Mormon teens. I believe however that the decision "not to reflect" your spiritual core in your outerwear says just as much as does the choice "to show" your spiritual identity in your outer wear.
Sun Jul 21, 10:13:00 AM EDT
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