I’m taking this personally

I’m taking this personally

By Joan Joanne Greene

My grandparents lived through pogroms – organized massacres where bands of men, seething with hatred of Jews, rode into Jewish villages on horseback, looting, raping, killing, and burning down their homes. I’ve known this the same way I’ve known about the killing fields in Cambodia and the Armenian genocide. Unimaginable evil that happened to someone else, people who didn’t speak my language, who didn’t live like I did, safe and with boundless opportunity in late 20th and early 21st century America. 

In Hebrew school they showed us newsreels from the war, the Holocaust, the Shoah. So many names for something that happened far away at another time. I and my friends had nightmares from seeing the grainy, black-and-white images of emaciated naked dead bodies piled high. But that was history, I told myself…like the slaughter by Syrian-Greeks, the annihilation decreed by Egyptian Pharoahs. Except that the murder of 6 million Jews had taken place only twenty years earlier. Twenty years, I now know, is an instant. I’ve read countless books, seen innumerable films, been privileged to hear many first-person testimonies, but these atrocities were things that happened to other Jews, at other times, in other places. 

Until now. “Never again is now.” It’s what we chant at rallies, our minds filled with images of kids who look like our children, brutally murdered at a music festival, parents, and grandparents, just like us, mowed down in their homes. “Bring them home,” we chant of the 200 hostages perhaps held in tunnels filled with weapons, being used as human shields as Israel fights for its very existence against an enemy that doesn’t protect its people, that is known to use relief money to buy weapons, that teaches its children that judgement day will only come when every Jew is killed.

For the first time in my life, I fear for Jewish American college students enduring vicious threats that scare them into remaining inside their dorm rooms, that cause the closure of kosher dining halls because they’re no longer safe. Yes, I’m taking this personally because reason seems absent from much of the discourse. The left with which I’ve marched and identified over so many issues for decades – reproductive rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, human rights – seems not to care about Israeli hostages from more than twenty-five different nations held by a group of people that celebrate the beheadings of Jewish infants. 

I am sad and confused and feel the need to be counted among those who stand up for Israel’s right to exist. I support the Israel that has continued to try to negotiate a Palestinian state, that, while imperfect, is still the closest thing to a democracy in the middle east. I take great pride in knowing that hundreds of thousands of Israelis turned out every Saturday after the Sabbath to protest judicial reforms that would have changed the makeup of the Jewish state. I, like so many around the world, yearn for a free and independent place for Palestinians to live peacefully, to cultivate land, to build infrastructure and to educate their children, not just about Jihad but about science and mathematics, art, and economics. This isn’t a fight against the Palestinian people; it’s a fight against the Islamic Resistance movement that is committed to killing Jews until Israel is wiped off the map.

Anti-Semitism pre-dates the printing press and, at this point, it may even be inevitable. And perhaps I should have been feeling it’s ugliness more deeply, more personally, all along. Instead, I’ve acted by upholding Jewish values and traditions, learning and teaching about our people’s history and struggles, visiting sites where Judaism thrived and Jews were murdered throughout the world, celebrating our rituals, telling our jokes, eating our foods. 

Today’s geopolitical issues in the Middle East are complex and nuanced and the more I read and listen to experts, the more complicated I understand the path to peace to be. What galls me is that most people, with little to no appreciation for history, reduce this and all conflict to good and evil, us and them, the haves and the have nots. In this terrifying, quickly moving scenario in which we find ourselves, the narrative has shifted in mere moments from Israel as victim to Israel as all-powerful master of brutality. 

I have no answers, only pain punctuated by moments of joy and guilt that, still, even now, I and my immediate family have it so good.

November 1, 2023

Speak your peace – A message from Rabbi Bill Berk in Jerusalem

Speak your peace – A message from Rabbi Bill Berk in Jerusalem

 Rabbi Bill Berk, Rabbi emeritus Temple Chai

Rabbi Berk served for twenty-three years as the Senior Rabbi of Temple Chai in Phoenix, Arizona. 

 The Simchat Torah Massacre

     In September 2005 Israel pulled out of Gaza with the hope that the Palestinians there would build a healthy prosperous country.  Two years later Hamas took over Gaza and began focusing not on building a good country but on destroying Israel.  We found out, to our shock and horror, that Hamas had zero interest in peace and was viciously opposed to pluralism.  Since then Hamas has made it clear that Israel will never be welcomed in the MIddle East.  They believe in creating an Islamic Empire–no Jews and no Israel.  Most of the modern world is making peace with the idea of pluralism–but not Hamas.

     Now it is one thing to be opposed to pluralism.  It is quite another thing to commit the atrocities they have unleashed with this war which began on October 7th.  These atrocities have crossed a red line that changes how we look at our situation.  We now look at it like this–we have no choice.  If we don’t stop Hamas they will kill us. Many others around the world, including many in the U.S.,  look at the situation differently and either equate the two sides or simply support Hamas.   Part of our enormous stress right now is exactly this issue–especially the way the world got tired of Israel’s suffering after two days of empathy.  For us a line has been  crossed.

     The joyous laughter of Hamas fighters as they murdered parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents–crossed a line.  The kidnapping of little children and babies and elders–crossed a line.  Raping teenage girls before killing them–crossed a line.  Chopping babies heads off and burning babies alive–it’s too much, it crossed a line.  Shooting rockets at us–12 shot at us in the last few minutes (October 31)–crosses a line. So the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is going to do what it needs to do whether students at Harvard like it or not.  (News reports as of the end of October tell us  that many Harvard students are demonstrating on behalf of Hamas.)  Jewish suffering is no longer making headlines.  

     Here’s a secret about Israeli society.  If there had been ten people murdered and four people kidnapped we would be as horrified and stressed out as we are with 1400 murdered and 245 kidnapped.  Why?  Two reasons: 1) We take seriously that every human is created b’tzelem, in God’s image, which to us means that every single person has infinite worth.  2)  Israel is one big family.  We are a gregarious group of people who love life.  We feel connected to each other.  So the numbers don’t matter–each and every person is a world, precious beyond words.

     Speaking of numbers–if we took what is happening here in Israel and Gaza  and on a per capita basis extrapolate what the numbers would be in the U.S.–it would look like this: on one day (9/11) 90,000 people murdered and  7,000 kidnapped–you get an idea of the extent of the tragedy on October 7, 2023. 

     We feel terrible for the people trapped in Gaza, held captive by Hamas.  We pray for their liberation from Hamas.  For those whose sympathies lie more in the direction of Hamas please keep  in mind that sometimes in order to stop evil from spreading it is necessary to hurt innocent civilians.  In Germany five million civilians were killed by the Allies desperate to stop Hitler.  They didn’t want to hurt these people–but that is war. 

     One last word–in the Bible the word hamas means  wild, destructive, violent behavior.   

Beauty Influencer LIZ KENNEDY Elevates Women’s Lives from Self-Care to Self-Respect

Beauty Influencer LIZ KENNEDY Elevates Women’s Lives from Self-Care to Self-Respect

BY CINDY SALTZMAN

 

Undoubtedly Liz Kennedy is a beautiful woman. She is tall, slender and fit, with perfect skin and hair. But the minute you speak with her, you realize that her outer beauty is the least interesting thing about her. Within two minutes of the start of our conversation, it became evident that Liz instinctively knows how to connect with people. Not only is she gracious, and intelligent, but she is also hysterically funny, and empathetic, topped off with an inner strength and resilience that Wonder Woman herself would admire.

Is it any wonder then, that Liz Kennedy is a widely popular beauty influencer and business entrepreneur with over 160,000 followers on TikTok alone, not to mention over 100,000 followers on Instagram?

However, Liz’s influence on women (and probably some men too) goes much deeper than that. She is acutely aware of the struggles that many women go through, as she has experienced some very difficult struggles herself, and come out the other side. As a result, she is genuinely working to help heal and elevate women’s lives from the inside out.

 

 

Her company Beauty Magnet is an extension of that mission. Liz explains, “My company @beautymagnet was developed and intended to not only create solutions and simplicity in the beauty space but with the power and mentality of BEING magnetic. It’s important that when we speak about skin, we speak about it as a healing practice rather than just vanity.”

Liz Kennedy is the real deal. Did I mention that she is a great cook too?

I understand that you were originally from the New York but now live in Los Angeles. What sparked that move?

Liz: We moved to L.A. when I started shooting the Steve Harvey Show. Everyone thought I was Latino, so then they wanted me to do beauty makeovers with big lashes and big hair, which I loved. It was so fun.

Steve is such a great guy. He’s so smart and such a pleasure to be around. And then I fell in love with California, and we (my husband and me) decided to take the leap and stay.

Cindy: Where is your husband from?

Liz: His parents are Russian, French, and Argentinian but he was born and raised in Muttontown Long Island with all Jews.. His best friend is Jewish. His love of Judaism is infectious.

Cindy: So you weren’t much of a stretch for him then.

Liz: No, not at all. I was born in Queens, and then I was in Israel until I was about 6 or 7. And then upstate New York until I was 18.

My father is Moroccan/Sephardic, Israeli, street kid. He grew up with 6 brothers. And my mom is Ashkenazi, NYU super- educated. They met in a Jewish nightclub in New York. They fell in love and had me. But unfortunately, they were two completely opposite human beings.

Liz: My parents had a very chaotic- abusive relationship-two people who were completely incompatible. When I was six or seven, my mom took my sister and I to the states, and changed our name to Kennedy, like the airport. A very American name. And to be honest, my very Israeli, hard-to-pronounce name would have been difficult as we tried to fit into American life.

In a sense, Liz Kennedy become my stage name.

Cindy: Do you remember moving from Israel to the states?

Liz: Not really. I remember being in kindergarten and everyone making in front of my Israeli name. And I didn’t speak English. I was really tormented in school and then tormented again when my name was changed in middle school.

Cindy: did you grow up in a Jewish household?

Liz: Hanukkah, always, Passover, always. My mom spoke Hebrew. But I didn’t really reconnect to Judaism until I returned to Israel to reconnect with my father when I was 21 or 22.

I was young and broke and was only supposed to stay for a week and a half, but I ended up staying for two and a half months. time. And then I would go back two to three times a year.

Cindy: What was the impetus for your career in beauty?

Liz: I’ve been obsessed with skin since I was a kid, I’ve always been fascinated by the skin’s ability to heal. I grew up so skinny, with big frizzy typical Jewish hair. I didn’t know how to do makeup, and grew up with a tomboy of a mom, so I taught myself everything. And then I came into myself and my body around the time I started college. There still are many days when I relate to that 13-year-old Liz though.When I was about 22-23, I said to my now husband that I wanted to get my license as an aesthetician, which I did. And then I went to nursing school because I thought I wanted to work with a plastic surgeon. But eventually I realized that I was more obsessed with the educational component of skincare.

At that point, I started to do a lot of TV. And while I was doing TV, I would listen to what people complained about. A lot of the complaints were about products and tools being scattered everywhere. So, I thought, what if I created something that was like a Swiss Army knife, something that could carry tools that is all in one. And then my husband’s best friend, connected me to an engineer to help me develop the product.

One of my investors told me that he invested in my company because I was so passionate about it.  And he was the first guy who believed in me besides my husband.

Cindy: How many years ago was that?

Liz: Five years ago. It takes a long time to create a product- between the patents, the molds, the raising of money, the mistakes you make along the way. It’s exhausting. If it hadn’t been something proprietary, I would have just quit.

Cindy: So even though you were already in a very glamorous field, you still had this passion to create this product?

Liz: Yes, because for me it was more than just magnetized skin care tools, and eventually skincare, I wanted to create a legacy brand about being magnetic, and how to manipulate your brain to be more magnetic. We are planning a podcast that will tie into this.

Everyone is busy, so a long beauty routine just isn’t practical, but 10 minutes is. Some of the tools are made to change and improve your skin, but the other tools, like the eye roller are to help you to slow down and enjoy your life for 5 or 10 minutes. It may not be life-altering, but what is life-altering is showing yourself a little respect by taking time for yourself.

Cindy: You have a very holistic approach to your beauty segments.

On social media, you delve into healthy meals, skincare, makeup….

Liz: I think I am really good at getting a message across in 30 seconds, digestible segments.

Cindy: Why do you think your message resonates with so many women?

I’m pretty transparent with my followers about trauma or things that I have been through. And I have learned that there are many women that follow me because they realize that I am more than just this chick who is into beauty and skincare.

Liz: I’m pretty transparent with my followers about trauma or things that I have been through. And I have learned that there are many women that follow me because they realize that I am more than just this chick who is into beauty and skincare. A lot of the women that follow me are really struggling whether with debt, or postpartum depression or sexual assault, all this crazy stuff that happens to women.

It occurred to me that there are two ways that you can go. You can either totally not take care of yourself and fall into this deep dark hole, or you can do what I did and use it as a weapon and create self-care and mentally alter the way you perceive yourself while respecting yourself. I feel it is important to be transparent and share our struggles. I don’t want someone to look at me and think this is not attainable, because it is.

Cindy: Did you ever want to give up during the process of developing the Beauty Magnet?

Liz: There were so many times when I felt like giving up. It was very difficult raising money during covid. My TV work dried up, and I had just had my son. But what kept me going was the knowledge that I was creating a legacy brand and that it was more than tools and skincare. And that the reason that women will use this and continue to do so is that we are changing their skin and manipulating their brains to be more magnetic.

Cindy: What has been the biggest challenge for you as an entrepreneur?

Liz: There is definitely sexism and inappropriate behavior, but once someone gets to know me, they realize that they don’t want to mess with me.

Cindy: Have you had to deal with antisemitism in business?

Liz: I deal with a lot of it online-horrible stuff. But when I was a naive kid, in upstate New York, I thought that everyone liked us and wanted to be like us. I never knew the rest of the world didn’t like us. Jokes on us.

Cindy: I read somewhere that you said, “Even the people who believe in you and even invest with you, can doubt you. You must keep the vision alive.”

Liz: Yes, it’s true. One of my investors told me that he invested in my company because I was so passionate about it. And he was the first guy who believed in me besides my husband.

Cindy: It is interesting that your investors are two Muslim men.

Liz: They are great business partners. To be honest, they cared enough to invest in me. I get a lot of added value through their consultations and knowledge as well.

Cindy: What has been the most rewarding thing about creating a successful product and brand?

Liz: The messages I receive from women. I want to help simplify women’s countertops and brains and to help maximize their time and self-esteem. Everyone is magnetic, but they have to feel it. We want to bring this message to the consumer in a simple, digestible, and relatable way.

Mandy Silverman: Challah Guru

Mandy Silverman: Challah Guru

BY MANDY SILVERMAN

 

There are many ways to bake challah and Mandy Silverman offers no less than 370 varieties. Her sweet and savory braided loaves are topped and stuffed with ingredients you never imagined, like caramelized onions and brisket, molten peppermint chocolate and rainbow cupcake batter. 

 

 

Known as the “Challah Guru” this Massachusetts baker offers recipes, guidance and endless inspiration for challahs. She shares her creations with 40,000 followers on Instagram. 

“I started off as a local business in 2013, Mandylicious, cooking from my home,” said Silverman, a wife and mother in her early 40s. With only a year of practice, she began turning out challahs with “crazy, fun things. I had so much experience with all this weirdness.”

From her home, she sold 30 a week. Then she took her baking business online and became an Instagram influencer. Her posts went viral. She showcases her challahs and answer questions about making them. “Word of mouth has been really helpful. I realized that my platform was better served there, as a way to teach people how to make challah and give out recipes.”

Silverman has made every baking mistake, “so I was really able to help people.” She also teaches classes on Zoom in the past few years and more recently returned to in-person classes.

Her mother inspired her to start with the basics – a slightly sweet loaf with a shiny, golden crust and pillowy-soft interior. Mom longed for a neighbor’s honey-layered challah, but was told it was a secret recipe. “I said, Mommy don’t worry. I will figure out how to make it. After several attempts, she got it right. “At some point, you get exhausted from failure because it’s not like making a pancake. You know right away, but a challah takes hours to see if something is wrong with the taste or the texture.”

Then came buffalo chicken (her husband’s favorite), Indian food (a friend’s pick) salami and cookie dough, to name a few. She would make special flavors for friends for their birthday and a Thanksgiving variety braided to resemble a turkey beak and feathers.  

The biggest challenge in making a challah is getting the dough texture right. “When you make the dough you want it to end up being tacky, but not sticky. You don’t want it to be too dry because the dough doesn’t have enough leeway to rise. If it doesn’t have enough give, it will taste doughy and dense.

“With a challah, you have to use your own judgment because the dough will change consistency depending on humidity levels outside if it’s raining.”

Silverman uses King Arthur bread flour. “If you use all-purpose flour you are going to have to use a lot more flour. Or sometimes you have to add water to get it just right.”

Silverman is modern Orthodox and says she connects to her Judaism through challah baking. She grew up in St. Louis and went to University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She was in the public relations field before she turned to challah baking.

She has no immediate plans for a cookbook. She feels like there are too many out there and recipes are widely available on the Internet.

She looks forward to teaching more classes in the fall. “I’m doing a Rosh Hashana meal, the whole meal which I’m very excited about.”

Silverman said that teaching first-timers is personally rewarding. “It’s the most amazing thing to be able to teach people like that. They think they can’t do it, like they’re very scared. When they’re successful and happy that’s like the best gift you can give someone.”

To reach Silverman about challah-baking opportunities, follow her on Instagram at @mandyliciouschallah or email her at mandylicious@mchallah.com.

Equipment needed (many available from the Mandylicious Amazon store): bowls, measuring cups and spoons, scale (optional), towel, rolling pin (or round object for rolling like a glass or can), basting brush (or paper towel), baking sheet or loaf pan, parchment paper (optional), bread machine (optional)

Traditional with Vegan Option Dough

  • 1 1/3 cup water                              
  • 4 ¼ cup high quality bread flour
  • 1/3 cup canola oil
  • Generous ½ cup sugar
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon *instant* yeast
  • 2 teaspoons table salt Extra water and flour as needed for consistency

To make vegan: in place of egg yolks, increase water amount to 1 1/2 cups and oil amount to 1/2 cup

Directions:

Add dry and wet ingredients to a bread machine in the order specified by the manufacturer. Set machine for “dough” cycle.

Or 

If not using a bread machine, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or by using the dough hook in a stand mixer. To reach desired consistency: if sticky, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time; if dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. 

Allow to rise in a large bowl, covered with a towel for 1 ½ hours. 

When the dough cycle is complete, remove dough from the bread machine or bowl, and divide into 6 equal portions. On a floured surface, roll three portions into long ropes, then carefully braid together, then place on a greased loaf pan or greased cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with a towel and let rise for an additional 20-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

To Finish:

Brush with an egg wash (Vegan: use oil or melted margarine)

Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. 

Dough Pointers:

  • Please note that the recipe calls for bread flour and instant yeast.
  • Bread flour is more glutenous than all-purpose flour so it helps the dough ball up easier. You can use all-purpose flour but be prepared to use a considerable amount more and the texture will not be quite the same.
  • Instant yeast does not need to be proofed. This means that it can just be added in with the rest of the ingredients in no particular order. Avoid quick rise or rapid rise yeasts, but if you are only able to get active dry yeast, you can use it you just have to proof it first.
    • To proof active dry yeast use the same amount (1 tablespoon) but add it to 1/3 cup 105 degree water and a pinch of sugar, and mix. When it bubbles the yeast has been activated and can be added to the rest of the ingredients. Use 1/3 cup less water in the rest of the recipe.
  • Dough consistency is CRUCIAL! Dough that is too wet will be hard to shape and won’t bake properly. Dough that is too dry will not rise well and taste dense and floury. The goal is to create a cohesive ball of dough that is not floury to the touch. Dough consistency can vary from kitchen to kitchen based on weather, humidity levels, and type of flour used. You can get your dough to the proper consistency simply by adding four or water, one or two tablespoons at a time, as the dough comes together, BEFORE the first rise (dough consistency will NOT improve as the dough rises). If you live in a particularly humid area or are finding that you are having to add a lot of flour, try using 1/3 cup less water at first and adding more as necessary.
  • After the first rise, dough can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to a month.
  • If you have any problems or questions, Direct Message @mandyliciouschallah on Instagram!
Toby Gotesman-Schneier:  Tragedy Happens In Color

Toby Gotesman-Schneier:  Tragedy Happens In Color

by ALLISON MINTZ

 

Provocative, unexpected, and haunting are just three words to describe the captivating work of artist Toby Gotesman-Schneier. Gotesman-Schneier is a world-renowned artist and has her work displayed in private homes and museums around the world. Her entrance into art came unexpectedly. “I wasn’t an artist; I didn’t go to art school. I didn’t even know how to draw, but one day I just found myself doing these monumental things” says Gotesman-Schneier. Her work and passion are a true gift from G-d.

 

 

Much of Gotesman Gotesman-Schneier ‘s work depicts the human suffering that most people don’t want to talk about or think about. Her collections on the homeless, HIV/AIDS, and her Holocaust project have all earned her critical acclaim throughout the art world. While depicting these images may not be in the mainstream, for Gotesman-Schneier, she said, “no one wants to paint human suffering, but it’s a mission.”

The “Colors of HIV” collection was a remarkable series of work that really highlighted the impact and adversity of the HIV/AIDS crisis. “The HIV/AIDS collection serve as a visual representation of the emotional moments experienced by the families whose lives have been affected by the virus” said Gotesman-Schneier These images are real and they truly showed the suffering, anger, and controversy of this epidemic. You could sense the pride Gotesman-Schneier has for this collection as she spoke so fondly about the importance for her to get this collection to the public.

Gotesman-Schneier’s most impactful work to date has been her Holocaust collection. This collection had 110 pieces and currently only a few pieces are still available. The brilliance of the colors used create such a stark contrast to the depravity and hate of this time. Each painting is even more captivating then the next.  While these paintings are beautiful and vibrant, the underlying message of sadness, despair, and helplessness still are prevalent. As I looked through these paintings, I felt a profound sadness and felt that the bright colors enhanced the emotion. Gotesman-Schneier work is not for the faint of heart. Her work draws you in immediately and you can’t help but be left with a strong emotional connection to both the artwork itself and the underlying story not told.

Gotesman-Schneier is humble and authentic when she speaks about her passion for her work. “It’s all about our art and our people. Both my parents were Auschwitz survivors. We have to have a cause that is greater than us, and this is mine. It’s not that anyone wants to paint this stuff, but I felt like I had to, I wanted to, I needed to.” In looking at Gotesman-Schneier’s paintings, the images of cages and enclosures are a consistent theme Gotesman-Schneier said, “Jail cells, geometric shapes, and the umbrellas signify being trapped, an enclosure of sorts. There are still times when I don’t even understand what I paint. I will stand back and be like, whoa, I just did that? It comes from above”

Knowing the political and emotional connection of her work, Gotesman-Schneier said she is not afraid to tell the story of suffering through her artwork. “My dream is to have a Holocaust exhibition in Berlin, Called, In Your Face, Berlin. I know how dangerous this would be, but I’m going to do it” said Gotesman-Schneier. As she explained, it is important to put these images in front of people so that they don’t forget. “I think art has to be dangerous. I can paint the pretty flowers, but there is human suffering and that story is important and needs to be shared” said Gotesman-Schneier.

Gotesman-Schneier was born in Oregon and currently resides in in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She has two adult children, who she loves.  She has been active in the Jewish community since she was born. As the daughter of a Rabbi, Gotesman-Schneier took her religion seriously and attended Hebrew school growing up. Throughout her life, she stayed connected to her Jewish roots. Gotesman-Schneier was the co-founder of the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York. She has also been active in philanthropy, politics, bringing awareness to humanitarian issues and spreading her message of awareness throughout the world.

Gotesman-Schneier has many exciting projects currently in the pipeline. Her messages of awareness, suffering, and peace will continue to mesmerize audiences throughout the world. While her paintings are provocative and shocking, they portray a haunting beauty that one cannot miss. “I don’t do anything small in life. I tend to patch everything together, because different moments are different and need to be highlighted.”  She knows that her work is controversial, but that doesn’t stop her creativity and her story from being shown.

Anyone who has an opportunity to view Gotesman-Schneier’s work will be better for it, as her paintings have a way of being very introspective. As she said, “I see the beauty in these awful, heinous situations and it juxtaposes against how my heart feels, it’s terrible, and I feel terrible for them.” One theme that has remained consistent through all of her work is the use of color. She said that her mantra is, “tragedy happens in color. Well, life actually happens in color.” Even in the darkest moments depicted in her art, the sky is still shining blue. The colors used, while some may say are controversial, provide an extraordinary realism to the actual pain, devastation, and suffering we see in the images depicted. “I’m an expressionist, I take that thing and make it into a feeling, and not just an image” said  Gotesman-Schneier.

Gotesman-Schneier has stayed extremely busy over the past few years. Even during Covid shutdowns, she was able to pivot her business to have a strong online presence. With a huge social media following, Gotesman-Scheiner has been able to connect on a deeper level with her base. She makes a point to show the paintings every step of the way to her followers. As she said, “the process is an equal or in some way has more importance than the end result.”  Her social media followers almost become part of the process as they get to see the paintings transform into great works. Gotesman-Schneier shared that her paintings are never truly finished, and they can always be changed depending on how she feels that day.

She is excited about her upcoming solo exhibitions. The first Exhibition, “Deep in the Palms” mixed media paintings will be held August 18-November 1st at the Sandhill Crane Golf Clubhouse, 9500 Sandhill Crane Drive, Palm Beach Gardens. The second solo exhibition, “Still Deep in the Palms” mixed media paintings, will be held September 12-November 18th at the Burns Road Community Center, 4404 Burns Rd., Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. If you are in the Palm Beach area make time to see these wonderful exhibitions. You can also learn more about Gotesman-Schneier on her website https://www.tobygotesmanschneier.com/.