The attack by Hamas throughout Israel on Oct. 7 left the collective Jewish community in a state of shock.
The atrocities were shocking. The videos were shocking. The stories, and the vitriol, were shocking. And all of it was readily accessible on social media where even the youngest Jews could be exposed to the brutality, the hatred, and the propaganda.
To help students process the ongoing war in Israel, AJA parent coordinator Niffy Cohen, along with school counselor Silvia Miller, led an art project entitled, “Between Hope & Despair.”
To make sense of it all, and to help process through the grief they may have experienced, a talented group of seventh- and eighth graders at Atlanta Jewish Academy created an art installation entitled, “Between Hope & Despair,” that incorporated elements of the war with Hamas, like posters of hostages, into original works of art. The pieces expressed a range of emotions – anger, frustration, humility, love, and sadness.
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Parent coordinator and project leader Niffy Cohen, a native of Israel and an artist, came up with the idea for the art project after the attack. Feeling helpless and thousands of miles from home, Cohen wanted to find a way to involve her passion for art to help the Jewish community heal.
“On Oct. 7, we woke up to the horrendous tragedy unfolding in Israel,” Cohen said. “As the days went by, I was watching from 6,000 miles away … I couldn’t go home to Israel to support my family and my country and began looking for ways to plug into the moment, to support the cause. I hoped to use my skills as an artist to help local Jewish Atlantans – and myself, of course – process our pain.”
After making a few phone calls to see who might be interested in collaborating on the art project, Cohen heard back from AJA where, conveniently, her children attend school. AJA school counselor Silvia Miller was also looking for a…
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