Liberal Judaism “Akeidah Project”

Calling all LJ artists, poets and musicians!

In the light of COVID-19, the High Holy Days are going to be rather unusual this year. But out of this is emerging a wonderful creativity, and the Akeidah story (Genesis 22:1-19) is fertile ground for this. We want to create some new midrashim (stories about stories in the Bible) on the Akeidah story, particularly focusing on the unheard voice of Sarah. The task is to read the Akeidah and think about where Sarah was, what she was thinking, why she wasn’t heard, and the impact on her, as the next thing we read in the Torah is about her death.
There are lots of places that you can go to in order to search for the existing traditional and creative midrashim around this, or come to it fresh, from entirely your own perspective. Then, produce either on your own, in family groups, in chevrutah  (study group) partnerships, a piece of art or poetry or music, that gives a voice to Sarah.
Please send it to us, at AkeidahProject@liberaljudaism.org.
Our aim is to build an interactive website page that provides new layers to the story. Additionally, we would like to use it in the services over the High Holy Days. For both these reasons, on receiving your submission, we will be sending a permission form for use of your work, credited of course.

The Rabbinic Merry-Go-Round:
Rabbis Charley Baginsky, Rachel Benjamin, Neil Janes and Pete Tobias

August 6, 2020