The Jewish community has always been represented well online. Whether it's the endless number of websites, numerous bar mitzvah clips on Youtube, or even representation in Second Life.
In May of this year, a fellow named Carter Giacobini opened up a new sim to the public, called Ir Shalom. This sim is dedicated to the Jewish religion and has been a popular place for many people so far, Jew or non-Jew. Not only as a place for Jews to call home, but also to inform non-Jews about Judaism. It looks superb and the place has a really nice feel to it. Ir Shalom is actually another name for Jerusalem and means 'City of peace'.
As you can imagine, most of the things in Ir Shalom are related to the Jewish religion and things like that. And this is why they currently have an exhibition in the Jewish Historical Museum in Ir Shalom going on that I think you should see, at least if you like (or even love) art.
The Argentinian paintress Lilian Matalón-Goldhar is very gifted. Let me just quote what the welcome sign at the exhibition says about her (I couldn't have summed it up any better myself):
Lilian majored in psychology and worked in the field for 20 years in areas ranging from teaching in the university level, publishing a book and having her own practice.
At the same time, she studied drawing and painting and in 1993 she decided to dedicate herself entirely to that area. She has been sculpting for a number of years as well.
Her pieces tend to include a wide color spectrum and the create and transmit a powerful mood that reaches the viewer. She has been part of several RL exhibitions, including several of her own for which she has received a number of rewards and special mentions.
One of her major projects was a collection about the holocaust and human rights. This took 3 years of preparation and included reading a large amount of testimonies of survivors, and numerous interviews with survivors in Argentina, Mexico and Uruguay. These works were exhibited in the Riel Gallery, the AMIA (Israeli-Argentine Culture & Welfare organization), as well as throughout various provinces in Argentina.I will not tell you too much about it. Seeing it for yourself works so much better and there is plenty of extra information to be gained at the location and on her website (although that one is in Spanish). Oh, and while you're there, don't forget to check out the other exhibition going on there, a series of portraits of famous Jews from all over the world.
I talked to the owner of Ir Shalom and the organizer of this exhibition, Mr. Giacobini, and he forwarded a few of the many responses he has been getting about the Holocausto exhibition.
"Enjoy is not the right word for what I experienced at the Holocausto exhibit, but I found it very meaningful and sobering. Thanks for your work keeping the memories of those souls alive." - Xtabber Young
"Great exhibit. I am glad to have found such a place on SL. I have my Master's degree in Holocaust and Genocide, and didn't think I would find such a wonderful place. Thank You." - Kimberly Montgomery
Title: "Holocausto - Honoring the victims of the Holocaust"
Artist: Lilian Matalón-Goldhar
Location:
Ir Shalom - Jewish Historical Museum (SLurl)
Duration: October 8 through November 8, 2007
Website:
www.liliangoldhar.com.ar (Spanish)
Contact artist:
lilig@fibertel.com.arContact inworld: please IM Carter Giacobini
ps. Ir Shalom is one of the main sponsors of SL Newspaper. And while you're there, also check out the SL Newspaper coffee corner at the Ir Shalom Community Center.
About a year ago, Second Life Newspaper did a report on Fanny Starr ( Link ). She would speak at lectures through her daughter’s avatar, Explorer Dastardly (Helen Starr in real life). She would talk about her experiences and answer any questions from the audience.
