The guiding principle behind the verse “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.” (Psalms 45, KJV) implies that a Jewish woman’s dignity resides in her modesty. Like a precious jewel kept from the outside world, a woman’s singularity lies in her being a king’s daughter, and her virtue—in shunning away from vanity and luxury and embracing anti-materialist qualities.  

In her video work “In All Her Glory”, artist Raya Brukenthal addresses the aesthetic aspects of Orthodox Judaism in general and of the Belzer Hasidism in particular, from a feminine, curious, and uncompromising standpoint. Gently unraveling the fine thread between covering and revelation, asking how holiness and religious practice interact with aesthetic pleasure and material wealth.

Since its inception in the 18th century in the Ukrainian town of Belz, the Belzer Hasidic court has adopted a visual language inspired by decorative styles of European monarchies that manifest excess and splendor. One testament to this visual language is the monumental hall of the Belz Great Synagogue and Beth Midrash, the central synagogue of the Belzer community, which follows the layout of the Second Temple, adorned with nine magnificent crystal chandeliers.  

Brukenthal’s video piece follows a group of seminary students inside a standard-looking classroom, assembling a large chandelier reminiscent of those in the Belzer hall. The camera lens travels in and out: moving from the girls’ hands meticulously sorting and polishing the inside of the chandelier’s diaphragm, and then heading back outside to the group circling and singing the psalm “Your Kingdom” (Psalms 145). The video is strategically screened at the top floor of the Neve Shechter building, thereby drawing a connecting line across space and time, and echoing the voices coming from the nearby Beit Midrash and synagogue. 

The women’s gallery provides the best vantage point to observe the Belzer Hall chandeliers. In the video, Brukenthal sheds its bars, bringing heaven and earth together.  The girls get to experience an unusual proximity to the chandelier, sharing with it the unspoken secrets of their hearts.

Brukenthal turns this transitory hall into an arena full of contrasts seeking to complete each other. The girls’ movements are allusive, hidden in the folds of their skirts. Their voices are pleasant and compliant, but their strength is in their unity. Their bodies provide them with the ability to claim the space, to give in to the ritualistic aspects of their song, and to channel their intentions through a celebration of matter and beauty.

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The artwork was exhibited for the first time in Brukenthal‘s solo show “Welfare of the Monarchy” at The Artists’ Studios in Jerusalem, in the framework of Manofim festival, September 2016. Curator: Sally Haftel.