Artist’s Statement:
This piece comments on the significance of oranges in modern Jewish life and was inspired by the story recounted in “What’s in an Orange?” by Jordan Namerow. The rebbetzin (wife of a rabbi) of the Jewish Women’s Group at the University of California Berkeley Hillel allegedly said that lesbianism was a small transgression, like eating bread during Passover. In a show of solidarity with lesbians, students at the university placed a small piece of bread on their seder plates. Later, Professor Susannah Heschel reflected on this story and replaced the bread with a tangerine. This piece also responds to a quote by an unknown source that states, “There’s as much place for a woman on the bimah (synagogue pulpit) as there is for a[n] orange on the seder plate.” Many women today place an orange or tangerine on their seder plates in solidarity with female and/or lesbian Jews.
As a Jewish lesbian myself, I feel that the orange is an important symbol of our history, showing how community and pride overrule hate and ignorance. My reference photo for this piece happens to have been taken by a lesbian, which is very fitting for this painting and its meaning.
Join the conversation!
