Join us at Beth Tzedec for the opening of the Periphery Exhibit, an evocative photographic and film project that celebrates ethnic diversity in the Jewish community. Sharing courageous, honest, and deeply personal narratives from individuals of multiracial and multiethnic backgrounds, this project, a partnership between No Silence on Race and Ontario Jewish Archives, centres Jewish voices not historically included in dialogue of who Jewish people are, globally.

This exhibit opening event will feature music from the Jewish diaspora with Beth Tzedec's Aviva Chernick alongside Gisun and Jesse Levy. Periphery project reps Sara Yacobi-Harris and Akilah Allen-Silverstein and documentary participant Asha Allen-Silverstein will speak about the exhibit.

To register, click HERE.

Periphery creates space to look, listen, and learn from our narrators as they share their lived realities. Included are testimonies of straddling multiple ethnic identities, exploring sexual identity, navigating converting to Judaism, and the discomfort of invisibility in the very spaces one seeks to call home. Periphery also draws our attention inwards and invites us to examine our own biases that inform our views of who is a Jew. Together, these call us to act upon our shared values and consider how we can create community spaces that foster and support a richer view of communal life community. 

To view the Periphery film or to listen to the participants' stories, click HERE. 

CREDITS:

Photographs by Liat Aharoni
Film directed and produced by Sara Yacobi-Harris
Filmed and edited by Marcus Armstrong

Exhibit continues through February 2025

Jesse Levy is a Toronto-based performer with a specialization in Musical Theatre. She has performed in a variety of settings around Ontario, most recently portraying Lucille Frank, the Jewish wife of falsely-convicted murderer Leo Frank in a production of Parade. Jesse is deeply committed to using the stage as a platform to tell important and impactful stories, shedding light on diverse perspectives and human experiences. Jesse is also an abstract artist who uses the canvas to express deep emotions and tell compelling stories about the world through vibrant, evocative imagery.

Gisun 지선 is a multicultural Canadian artist. Having graduated from Berklee Valencia, her songwriting in both English and Spanish revolves around latin and soul-inspired music. Through her experiences navigating themes of identity, heritage and belonging, she creates community connectivity and healing through music.

Since 2017, she has released three EP's: Suspiras, Partes, and Fin in collaboration with musicians and sound engineers in New York, Valencia, Toronto, Vancouver, and Mexico. Her single release, Gracias a la Vida, has been featured on numerous CBC Music programs as well as on the Strombo Show. Gisun performed at Carnaval del Sol and Vancouver Pride Festival. On her album launch tour in Mexico, she opened for the iconic Aterciopelados and Los Rumberos.