Contemporary Jewish Female Artists: Critiquing Challenging and Dismantling the Patriarchal Construction of Judaism

The unfaltering Jewish legal system defined by the Torah (the ancient biblical text) articulates laws describing the manner in which worshippers should live and behave. Despite pivotal historical events affecting the Jewish community these laws have not changed with the passage of time. Many Jews interpret and incorporate some, or all, of teachings and laws into their daily lives. This thesis investigates art that reflects on the contemporary Jewish-American experience and identity as parallel to the second and third wave feminist movements. This thesis aims to reveal the manner in which contemporary female Jewish artists, specifically Hèlene Aylon, Yona Verwer, Deborah Kass, Maya Escobar, Jamie Sneider and Nikki S. Lee explore the restrictions that the Torah imposes as they pertain to women and as they create and reinforce a strong division between the genders