“Kitchen Tables” at the JCC stirs memories
Rachel Naomi Remen once said, “Everybody is a story. When I was a child, people sat around kitchen tables and told their stories. We don’t do that so much anymore. Sitting around the table telling stories is not just a way of passing time. It is the way the wisdom gets passed along. The stuff that helps us to live a life worth remembering.”
Her words inspired the exhibit “Kitchen Tables: Memories of Growing Up Jewish in Chattanooga”, on display at the Jewish Cultural Center through Friday, July 18.
Designed to show how people share their stories in Chattanooga, the exhibit is a collection of artifacts, photographs, quotes and oral histories from the past three generations.
As a foundation, researchers used Joy Effron Abelson Adams’ work for the exhibit “Chattanooga Jewish Reflections” at the Chattanooga History Museum 18 years ago.
The exhibit is free and allows visitors to learn about the social changes and historical events of Chattanooga’s Jewish community, and includes commentary about a Pew Research Center survey that has sparked community discussion of the American Jewish identity.
Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. and Friday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., excluding Friday, July 4.
For more information contact Ann Treadwell, atreadwell@jewishchattanooga.com or (423) 493-0270, ext. 13.
The Jewish Cultural Center is located at 5461 North Terrace Rd.