In “GOLEM: A Call to Action” (through December 5), The Contemporary Jewish Museum presents three videos by Los Angeles artist Julie Weitz. All of the videos available online; “Wildland Firefighter” (2021) and “Prayer for Burnt Forests” (2021) are installed in the museum. In her ongoing series of performative videos, Weitz cunningly employs bold and comedic costumes and gestures to fuse cinematic history, sacred rituals, and environmentalism.
As an anthropomorphic being made from clay, a golem is literally and metaphorically of the earth. Emerging from Medieval Jewish mythology, the golem represents benevolence and guidance to Jews as they have endured centuries of xenophobic displacement, injustice, and tragedy. In response to the challenges of recent years, Weitz has taken absurdist liberties in creating her own golem. With this “Golem” played by Weitz, the character operates as double, where she/it navigates being a human-like outsider that walks amongst us.