Sunday, September 5, 2010

Jewseum

Yesterday, Jeff and I took my parents to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco or, as I affectionately call it, the "Jewseum".

Although I'm not practicing any religion, I was raised with a Jewish heritage. I can't tell you what the hebrew letters are, or what a "mensch" is, but I have lit many a menorah and I don't spell G-d. Jeff was raised Catholic and knows even less about Judaism than I do, so it was an educational experience for him as well. He took it very seriously.

The main exhibit there was of Maira Kalman's work.

She illustrates for the New Yorker and many children's work and she's absolutely amazing.

Other exhibits there include an academic exhibit about the intricacies of the Torah. Each torah is done by hand by an expert who knows all the rules about transcribing. Only certain fonts are allowed and certain letters are more ornate than others. Even the ink has to be kosher.

One of the most enjoyable exhibits there was called "Black Sabbath" and it's about the connection between black and Jewish musicians. Several stations were set up to listen to music. It was amazing to listen to Earth Kitt singing in Yiddish and The Temptations singing Over the Rainbow.

My parents got really into it too.

It was cute seeing my mom singing out loud while all the other patrons sat there like stone statues. I like my family.

After the museum, we walked around Union Square and the touristy Market area. Probably the most entertaining part of our trip was when my mom started screaming at some frightened woman driver making an illegal left turn. Even though the area was really loud, my mom was louder and everybody turned to stare at her. I love that woman.

Before going home we stopped at the SFMOMA and I bought a map of San Francisco that I've been coveting for a while.

Isn't it great? I'm going to hang it in my office.

1 comment:

  1. That picture of Jeff is a crack up. Sounds like a fun trip. Your mom sounds like a hoot.

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