In a post-Oct. 7 world, Israel’s arts scene has taken a back seat to more pressing priorities. But when it comes to Israel education, the arts are more important than ever, according to Michael Soberman, senior educational consultant at The iCenter for Israel Education. 

For that reason, on Thursday, The iCenter partnered with Art Up Nation, a four-day Israeli art exhibition in the gallery-filled Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, to provide around 20 tristate-area educators with access to an exclusive tour. 

In addition to the tour, the educators had the opportunity to hear from visiting Israeli artists, and participate in a discussion about ways to incorporate Israeli art and narrative into the classroom. 

To The iCenter, which focuses on a “relational approach” to Israel education, the collaboration seemed obvious, said Soberman. “We had these incredible artists, these incredible storytellers in New York, and a strong network of our educators here,” he said. “Now they can ask themselves, how do we bring art and the stories that art tells into our departments?”

Katie Rein, who runs the after-school religious programming at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, was among the educators invited to attend the event. Rein was particularly inspired by the multimedia offerings on display. “I’m always looking for ways to diversify the curriculum. Some kids like Hebrew, some kids like art, some kids like playing games. So it was interesting to consider the overlap,” said Rein. 

For Art Up Nation, its partnership with donors has been crucial. The Israeli artists landed at High Line Nine Gallery in Chelsea with the help of El Al, who sponsored their flights and art shipments, as well as over 30 philanthropic donors, including Karen Davidson, The Paul E. Singer Foundation, Shari and Jeff Aronson, the Kirsh Foundation and Debra Fine and Marty Schneider. With the help of donors, the artists will receive 100% of the proceeds of sales of their works. Nearly half of the gallery’s contents were purchased on the exhibition’s first day, according to Shirlee Klein, a member of Art Up Nation’s host committee.

“In Israel, there are so many other priorities right now, but culture is still important. Art is very important. And this was a huge hug from the community here yesterday,” said Ronen Sharabani, a multimedia artist featured in the exhibition.

The Israel-Hamas war has affected Israeli artists on multiple levels, according to Sharabani. He and many of his peers weren’t in the headspace to be creating art in the first few months after Oct. 7, and many planned art exhibitions were delayed or canceled.

Almost a year after Oct. 7, one of Sharabani’s pieces that was set to be displayed on Oct. 8 is now hanging on a wall in Chelsea. The work has undergone changes, as Israel itself has.  

Renamed “Healing Time,” Sharabani incorporated shifting Hebrew lettering into the framed video piece, the translation of which morphs from “war time” to “healing time” as the video loops. “It’s kind of a hope that it’s not a final situation. We are in the process, and will hopefully get out of it,” said Sharabani.

Understanding how Israelis are experiencing the war on a personal level is also a critical educational component, said Soberman. 

“When we look back on what was the story of Israel in 2023 and 2024 a decade or two from now, the artists who developed art around that time will tell a really important part of it,” he said.