The inaugural program of the Ann Belsky Moranis School of Arts took place in the summer of 1996 at Neveh Channah, one of Ohr Torah Stone's high schools in Israel. "A Haggadah Happening" brought together students from different backgrounds and environments in order to explore the world of the Haggadah. The students studied art history, learned the traditions and art of the Haggadah, went on excursions to museums, artists' studios, architectural and archaeological sites, visited design labs instructed by noted artists: participated in hands-on studio projects involving paper-making, calligraphy, woodcut, collage, rubbings, painting, photography and clay modeling, received computer lab instruction in programs related to design and desk-top publishing, and filed progress reports on the internet. The program model was cited at the 1996 Israeli National Conference on Technology and Education as a pioneering precedent for combining arts and technology.

In the summer of 1997, "A Haggadah Happening II" took place. The social and academic goals and curricula remained the same. Although the participants hailed from varying religious backgrounds and countries, the dialectic of distinctiveness and universality that was discovered in their exploration of Judaism transcended their differences, permeated the artistic experience and ultimately served to strengthen the individual while simultaneously unifying and consolidating the group.

The final result - utilizing artistic works from both years - was a striking, uniquely creative Haggadah highlighting the creative capabilities of every participant. What the students learned about art, their heritage, one another and themselves all found expression in their individual artwork and was incorporated into the final manuscript, which is accompanied by a commentary from Rabbi Shlomo Riskin.

Click Here to view samples of artwork from 'A Hagaddah Happening'