Shalom/Salaam: The Untold Story of a Mystical Entanglement

Shalom/Salaam: The Untold Story of a Mystical Entanglement is an interdisciplinary project predicated on the belief that contemporary art, at its best, can move outside of the narrow confines of the art world, approaching the general public through genuinely creative thought and a gentle activism.

Specifically, my Shalom/Salaam Project highlights the strong Sufi influence on the development of Jewish mysticism, following this unfamiliar tale from 11 th century Spain and Egypt, through the Kabbalah and into the Baal Shem Tov's Hasidism in the 18th century. I believe that the popularization of this positive story can help facilitate the peace dialogue between Jews and Arabs, becoming part of the healing process of that fractured relationship.

Based in my own original research about Jewish and Muslim mystics that studied together, read each other's texts and openly borrowed ideas from the other religion's mystical masters, Shalom/Salaam is a unique mixture of art, writing, scholarship and activism. Through a series of art shows, written pieces, forums and other activities, the Shalom/Salaam project introduces this tale of spiritual entanglement to a diverse audience.

Shalom/Salaam is comprised of four different series of artworks, each concentrating on a different aspect of the tale. Paintings from the Baal Shem Tov explores the ecstatic mysticism of the 18th century Jewish mystic, the Baal Shem Tov, who was strongly influenced by Sufi threads buried within medieval Jewish spiritual thought. Secret Garden is a wall-borne installation that explores the subtly delicious Sufi mystical path. And lastly, a series of iconic portraits of the specific medieval Jewish and Muslim mystics that linked these two religions at their spiritual cores exhibits how this story was created by real people, sharing insights and respect across cultural and religious boundaries over nearly a millennia.

In addition to the artwork on this subject, I have taught a course entitled Sufis and Hasids: Masters of Mysticism at the Jewish Study Center in Washington D.C. I have had six articles on the subject published, including Abraham Maimonides: A Jewish Sufi in Sufi Magazine (London, Winter 2001-02), The Jewish Gift to Islamic Mysticism, in the Detroit Jewish News (October, 2002), Shared Teaching Legends of the Sufis and Hasids in Sufi Magazine (London, Autumn 2003), A Key Out of the Palestinian/Israeli Labyrinth, Dystinct Art Magazine (New York, January 2004), Solomon Ibn Gabirol, in Sophia: The Journal of Traditional Studies (Oakton,Virginia, summer 2004) and Moses Maimonides and the Sufis of Islam in Sufi Magazine (London, Winter 2004-05).

I have finished my academic study of this subject, Shalom/Salaam: The Untold Story of a Mystical Entanglement, a 450-page manuscript that will continue to popularize this commingling of Jews' and Muslims' most intimate religious beliefs. The Foundation for Traditional Studies is currently considering publishing this book. I received a grant from the Puffin Foundation to produce note cards for the project, as well as a grant from the Sugarman Foundation to work on the iconic portraits. I attained fiscal sponsorship through the New York Foundation for the Arts to produce the Shalom/Salaam Catalogue, which will combine my art and writing with poetry (by Susan Davis), cartoons (by Larry Rodman) and academic interviews with experts in the field to bring this little known story to a wider audience.

Lastly, I participated in a symposium on the subject along with Dr. S. H. Nasr, University Professor of Islamic Studies, George Washington University and Dr. Marc Eli Saperstein, Head of the Judaic Studies Program at George Washington University in November 2004. After the symposium, Dr. Nasr was kind enough to send along a brief note indicating:

"In bringing this very important but mostly forgotten history to light, the author is making a major contribution to creating better understanding between Islam and Judaism in a world so much in need for such understanding."

Ultimately, this project combines visual art, writing and scholarship to answer the call of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Elie Weisel, who said, "I still believe human bridges can be built between the two communities (Jews and Arabs), through reciprocal visits between students, teachers, musicians, writers, artists, business leaders and journalists." By popularizing this untold tale of mutual respect, perhaps a story of peace - so unusual in these difficult times in the Middle East - can begin to resonate as loudly, or even louder, than the sound of gun ships and bombs that currently command the stage between these two historic cousins.