Tisha b’Av of Teshuvah installed on Tisha b’Av 5780 / July 29-30th 2020 in Grand army plaza in brooklyn, NY.
Tisha b’Av of Teshuvah: Mourning Black Lives | in collaboration with jfrej
The installation, composed of several concentric circles, forms a makeshift sanctuary designed for urgency, movement, and flexibility — a container for our mourning and prayers. The outer circle is formed by the walls and the inner circles are formed by the participants.
The outer circle marks the boundaries of the container while also providing security. It is composed of twelve individual wall units constructed from pvc pipes and Kriah ribbons. Kriah (translation: tearing) is a traditional mourning ritual of rendering one’s garment. Written on the Kriah ribbons are confessions, hopes, and prayers. The front East-facing walls are constructed with ribbons with the names of Black lives we mourn written on the ribbons. These are the walls from which participants will enter into the space. Each unit is held by a pair of pallbearers.
To learn more about this project check out the short film 40 Days of Teshuvah by filmmaker Hannah Roodman and The IOWA Project. The film is about bringing Jewish spiritual practice into the fight for racial justice, and follows Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ)'s 40 Days of Teshuva protest in the summer of 2020.