There are always many opportunities to appreciate Jewish artists. The current exhibition Modigliani Unmasked in the Jewish Museum in New York City features works from the celebrated artist Amedeo Modigliani, an Italian Jew, who arrived in Paris in 1906, when the city was still roiling with anti-Semitism after the longrunning tumult of the Dreyfus Affair and the influx of foreign émigrés.

As Modigliani himself said: “It is your duty in life to save your dream.” The exhibition shows that Modigliani’s art cannot be fully understood without acknowledging the ways the artist responded to the social realities that he confronted in the unprecedented artistic melting pot of Paris. It reminds us that today, almost 100 years later, the problem of anti-Semitism is not solved.

As is the story with so many immigrant populations, those Soviet Jews who came to United States as children, or were born here to immigrants, are now grown and very well acculturated. But many came as adults, imprisoned by a language barrier, and were never completely acculturated. This is why the New American Acculturation Program offers many educational programs for our Russian-speaking community, including information about interesting community events, transportation assistance, preparation for citizenship tests and organizing trips to historical places and museums across the United States.

Thanks to the local Jewish organizations, synagogues and the Lina Adult Center in Hamden, the Russian-speaking community had an opportunity to celebrate and properly observe the Jewish holidays. Special thanks go to Rabbi Levitin and his family for providing free services and food in different locations. Seniors without transportation were also able to walk to and enjoy services with their friends.

Contact Yelena Gerovich at (203) 387-2424 x321 or ygerovich@jewishnewhaven.org for more information.