THE CASE FOR ARTS AND CULTURE

Bob Goldfarb eJP Blog

It’s hardly news that philanthropists are reconsidering their priorities in the face of the economy’s woes. The move to provide for basic needs, for example, is a natural and laudable response to the jump in unemployment. It’s important, though, not to lose sight of the long-term welfare of the Jewish community, and that includes arts and culture.

Jewish communal life stands on four pillars: education, religion, community, and culture. All of these provide context and meaning for a Jewish life. Taken together they make a powerful statement that, for a Jew, living is not only a matter of surviving and subsisting: it is also encompasses learning, morality, other people, and human expression. Read More.