A new exhibition, "Know Your Nosh: Food, Jewishness & Identity", is on display in Norlin Library on the third floor outside of the Rare and Distinctive (RaD) Collections classroom (Room N345).
This exhibition is the fifth installment of the Embodied Judaism Series and its development—researching, selecting materials and designing the panels—has occurred over the past year. The series is a long-standing collaboration between RaD and Program in Jewish Studies and focuses on the role of the body in Jewish life, drawing from materials in the Innovations in Jewish Life (IJL) collections housed in RaD.
“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with Program in Jewish Studies and host this exhibition in Norlin Library,” said Megan Friedel, lead archivist and head of collections management and stewardship for RaD. “We hope this exhibit connects students and other viewers with the unique ways that the IJL collections can be used for research, speak to so many aspects of Jewish identity, and resonate across cultures.”
The exhibition explores the significance of food and agriculture for Jewish religious, cultural, national and political identities, focusing on the United States and Israel/Palestine.
"When I was first asked to search for material related to food and agriculture in the Innovation in Jewish Life (IJL) collections, I didn't expect to find very much. My, was I wrong!” said Gregg Drinkwater, former associate academic director of the IJL collections and curator of the exhibition. “From pamphlets produced by Zionist organizations in the 1940s emphasizing the agricultural aspects of Zionism, to texts emphasizing spiritual connections to food and the land created for Jewish religious festivals, the IJL collections offer significant holdings. I hope this exhibit encourages other scholars to explore the IJL collections and the depth and complexity of the material held here at CU."
The exhibition is on view now in Norlin until May 2024 and also available online. For more information about accessing the IJL collections, please visit the RaD website or contact rad@colorado.edu.
Title image: "Shabbat" by Lynne Feldman.
This article was published by CU January 18, 2024.