Mark the start of Yom Kippur with… an immersive art exhibit

As the Jewish High Holidays come to a close, Silverlake Independent Jewish Community Center is putting together an event to mark the occasion with a decidedly different approach: an immersive art installation.

The “UnLoose” exhibit marks the occasion of Kol Nidre, the declaration that traditionally starts services for Yom Kippur. Rabbi Kerry Chaplin told LAist that though the event might be a bit unfamiliar to people used to more conventional synagogue settings, the event is deeply rooted in Jewish theology — though people of any faith are welcome at the installation.

“On this evening of Kol Nidre, we invite this experience of union between this world and worlds we don't understand — some people would call that heaven or the next world or where God is,” Chaplin said. “It can open us up, sometimes, to mistakes we've made.”

What to expect

Unless you’ve been to a previous version of this event at Silverlake Independent JCC, Chaplin said attendees likely haven’t experienced anything quite like this before.

“ I would say someone who has some experience with Kol Nidre is going to say, ‘Oh, I have never been to something like this before. This is not the synagogue experience of my childhood,’” Chaplin said. “And someone who hasn't been there before is going to be just falling into the common human threads of the whole experience.”

Musical performance, including a score written for the event, is a central part of the "UnLoose" exhibition.

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Courtesy SIJCC/David Yamamoto

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Attendees will get a Google form where they can submit fears, doubts, or anything they’d like to leave behind in the new year anonymously. You can also submit them at the door.

These contributions will be woven into the experience, which includes projections and a score performed by live musicians. The goal in the end is to transform the negative feelings into another feeling while still hearing them out.

“Some of us who've spent time with our fear, we've witnessed that happen,” Chaplin said. “It can transform into compassion. It can transform into love. It can transform into courage. So I'm excited to see what it will transform into in this collective ritual.”

The event is for anyone (of any faith) over 10, so don’t expect everything to be too heavy – you might hear some anxieties about the current school year mixed in with declarations of existential dread.

“The preschoolers are also invited to participate, so they are going to say things that are really different than what somebody in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 90s is going to say,” Chaplin said.

And attendees are welcome to share as much, or as little, as they’d like.

“ It's up to you whether you wanna go all in and show up with something you've been carrying for a while, or you wanna go and just observe,” Chaplin said.

How to attend

Tickets are available at Silverlake Independent JCC’s website. They’re free for members of the Silverlake Independent JCC and cost $10 for non-members.

The installation begins at 6:19 p.m. and continues through 8 p.m. at the location on Bates Avenue in Silver Lake. A pre-fast meal will also be offered at 5 p.m. Childcare for children under 10 will be available starting at 6 p.m.

The Silverlake Independent JCC will also hold an event to mark Yom Kippur the next day with a Tot service, plus yoga and sound baths available. Details for that event are here.