Is Art the Future of Jewish Practice?

Aaron Henne, founder and director of Los Angeles' theatre dybbuk, asks: What would our future look like if artistic opportunities were fundamental to our Jewish lives? Arts-based experiences, be they performative, visual or otherwise, are at the center of our engagement with the world and yet, in our Jewish communities and society in general, we often view arts as a secondary means through which we can achieve educational or ritual ends. What would our future look like if artistic opportunities and all the beauty and complexity they offer were part and parcel of our Jewish lives? Aaron Henne is the artistic director of theatre dybbuk, an arts and education organization whose work illuminates universal human experience from a Jewish perspective. In addition to his work with theatre dybbuk, Henne teaches storytelling throughout the country and has presented workshops at Lucasfilm, Pixar and Dreamworks. Henne was an American Jewish University Dream Lab Fellow and the Diane Luboff Scholar at the Cutter Colloquium at HUC-JIR. He has also served as a professional mentor at Otis College of Art and Design, as faculty for the Wexner Heritage Program, and as a consultant and facilitator for a wide variety of organizations including The Jewish Federation of North America's Young Leadership Cabinet and the Western Hillel Organization regional conference. Henne is a Pilot Wexner Field Fellow and the recipient of LA Weekly and SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for playwriting. Part of the Architects of the Jewish Future Series.