Photo by: Jay Barry Zeiger
2000
Harei at muteret / Released
This work was first shown in Jewish Artists on the Edge
curated by Ori Z. Soltes, a group exhibition held at the College of
Sante Fe, New Mexico organized by The Jewish Community Council of Northern
New Mexico.
This particular photographic installation is comprised of ten black and white photographic reproductions in units of variable sizes (with the average being approximately 20" x 16" x 5") and approximately eight dozen wine goblets.
Photography credit: Devora Neumark
Each photographic unit contains a black and white photographic reproduction of a painting or print whose subject matter is the Jewish wedding ceremony. On the top of each photographic unit rests a single wine goblet. Seven of the units have a wine goblet with engraved Hebrew text and the remaining three units have un-engraved goblets. The etched words read Harei at muteret (Herein, now, and with this you are permitted) which is part of the phrase uttered by the man to the woman in the Jewish divorce process. The full phrase can be translated as "Herein, now and with this you are permitted to any man." All the remaining wine goblets are arranged in a shallow semi-circle emerging out of the wall centred directly under the photographic units with the goblets piled up one on top of the other.
In choosing to reference only the first portion of this phrase, permission is granted to the woman, any woman, full stop. As with this text, each of the elements in this work has some reference to the Jewish wedding ritual. Working through and with these references, and in the undoing of this ritual, the stark realization of Jewish divorce appears.
The images appearing within the units are, in chronological order
Title: Artist: Country: Year: Medium: | Title: Artist: Country: Year: Medium: | Title: Artist: Country: Year: Medium: | Title: Jewish Bride Artist: Boener Country: Germany: Fürth Year: 1705 Medium: Engraving | Title: Wedding of Ashkenazi Jews Artist: Bernard Picart Country: unclear Year: 1712 Medium: Engraving | Title: A Wedding Artist: Schudt Country: Germany: Frankfurt Year: 1714-8 Medium: Engraving | Title: Wedding Procession Artist: unclear Country: Germany: Fürth Year: 1734 Medium: Engraving | Title: Jewish Wedding Artist: unknown Country: Bohemia Year: c. 1750 Medium: Detail from painting | Title: Jewish Marriage Artist: Van Lennep Country: Turkey Year: 1862 Medium: Lithograph | Title: Wedding Artist: M.D. Oppenheim Country: Germany: Frankfurt Year: 1866-9 Medium: Painting