My article “Exhibit suggests ‘peaceful pluralism’ among ancient Jews, Christians and pagans,” about the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit “The World between Empires: Art and Identity in the Ancient Middle East,” appears in National Catholic Reporter.
All posts in category Judaism
Exhibit suggests ‘peaceful pluralism’ among ancient Jews, Christians and pagans
Posted by Menachem Wecker on June 4, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/06/04/exhibit-suggests-peaceful-pluralism-among-ancient-jews-christians-and-pagans/
Mister Rogers’ Jewish neighborhood
My article “Mister Rogers’ Jewish neighborhood,” about an exhibit of Jim Judkis’ photos of Fred Rogers, appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on May 23, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/05/23/mister-rogers-jewish-neighborhood/
The Wreck of the Jewish Museum
My article “The Wreck of the Jewish Museum” appears in Mosaic magazine. Here’s the response from Tom Freudenheim, former assistant secretary for museums at the Smithsonian Institutions, former director of the museum program at the National Endowment for the Arts, and former director of several museums. Here’s a second response from Edward Rothstein, critic-at-large for […]
Posted by Menachem Wecker on May 6, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/05/06/the-wreck-of-the-jewish-museum/
The Satanic Temple is a real religion, says IRS
The Almighty may not think the Satanic Temple is a church. But the taxman has given it the thumbs-up. The rest of the article, “The Satanic Temple is a real religion, says IRS,” appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on April 25, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/04/25/the-satanic-temple-is-a-real-religion-says-irs/
Jews of African descent ‘unnerved’ by comparisons to viral video group
My article “Jews of African descent ‘unnerved’ by comparisons to viral video group” appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on January 24, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/01/24/jews-of-african-descent-unnerved-by-comparisons-to-viral-video-group/
Why Andy Warhol’s Brillo pads — and a million other things — are kosher
My article “Why Andy Warhol’s Brillo pads — and a million other things — are kosher,” which riffs on the major Warhol retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on January 7, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/01/07/why-andy-warhols-brillo-pads-and-a-million-other-things-are-kosher/
In 25 years, Museum of Contemporary Religious Art hasn’t shied from risks
My article “In 25 years, Museum of Contemporary Religious Art hasn’t shied from risks” appears in National Catholic Reporter.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on January 2, 2019
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2019/01/02/in-25-years-museum-of-contemporary-religious-art-hasnt-shied-from-risks/
Chess Life article about Chess Sets & Conflict
My article “Chess Sets & Conflict,” which reflects on the ways that chess sets, for centuries, have done double-duty as political and religious symbols, appears in the Dec. 2018 issue of Chess Life magazine. It may be accessed in PDF format via this link. To read the entire issue Chess Life, and to subscribe to […]
Posted by Menachem Wecker on December 6, 2018
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2018/12/06/chess-life-article-about-chess-sets-conflict/
Museums’ mislabeling can leave visitors with misconceptions of biblical proportions
My article “Museums’ mislabeling can leave visitors with misconceptions of biblical proportions” appears in Religion News Service.
Posted by Menachem Wecker on December 6, 2018
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2018/12/06/museums-mislabeling-can-leave-visitors-with-misconceptions-of-biblical-proportions/
What If You Trivialize Hitler?
My article “What If You Trivialize Hitler?” — about the Holocaust art of Bruce Gendelman — appears in Mosaic magazine. (The Jewish Journal, LA, also excerpts it.) Here’s the lede: “How do you shoot the devil in the back?” asks the character played by Kevin Spacey in the 1995 movie The Usual Suspects. A similar […]
Posted by Menachem Wecker on December 6, 2018
http://www.menachemwecker.com/2018/12/06/what-if-you-trivialize-hitler/
Selected articles
"The Imitation Game: Are museums being clear enough with the public about what’s real and what’s fake?" Washington Post Magazine. March 3, 2019.
"Searching for Fischer’s Legacy." Chess Life magazine. March 2018. (PDF file).
"A Memorial That Knows Its Biblical History." Wall St. Journal. Sept. 22, 2017.
"Infiltrating the CIA’s Secret Art Collection." Playboy. Jan./Feb. 2017.