Exhibition Reception: Siona Benjamin - An Art for a Mixed Multitude

Join us for the public celebration of "Siona Benjamin: Art for a Mixed Multitude." If you haven't had the chance to view the original artwork that appears in the Haggadah Shel Erev Rav, this is a perfect opportunity to view this exhibition and chat with the artist herself. Refreshments will be served.

This exhibition is presented thanks to the generous support of the Hauptman/Bronfman/Clarick family, in loving memory of Ellen M. Hauptman.

About the Exhibition:

From the moment our people emerged from Egypt as an Erev Rav—a mixed multitude—we have been a multivocal, multiethnic, multicultural family. Central Synagogue commissioned artist Siona Benjamin to convey the concept of the Erev Rav in our new haggadah published by CCAR Press. Each hand-painted illustration in this exhibition celebrates Jewish identity, memory, and joy. Through Siona Benjamin’s vivid palette and intricate detail, the images seem to leap off the page, inviting us to encounter Pesach with renewed connection, curiosity, and passion.

About Siona Benjamin:

Siona Benjamin is an Indian-American Jewish artist from the ancient Bene Israel community. Her art has been included in solo and group exhibitions, books, and catalogues. Benjamin’s colorful, transcultural artwork imagines a universe inhabited by earthly and heavenly beings, heroes, animals, plants, and flowers—all meeting within the borders of riotously colorful scenes. Influenced by Indian and Persian miniature painting, Benjamin’s work brings both old and new perspectives to our shared Jewish stories.