I Do Not Want Your Sympathy:

Shiva, Snacks, and the Art of Remembering

 What is comfort? What do mourners need, and is memory really a blessing? Join us for an evening of art and discussion with local author-illustrator (and former pastry chef) Marilyn Naron. The LJCC will exhibit Marilyn’s recent art commissioned for the Kansas Book Festival, including the central piece “I Do Not Want Your Sympathy,” a triptych painted and collaged entirely from sympathy cards her family received after the death of her sister in 1996. Marilyn is currently at work on an illustrated memoir, “How to Draw a Sister,” and her talk will explore how food, sympathy, memory, and Jewish death rituals come together in that project.

This event is free and open to the public, but we request early registration by February 10th.

Telling Our Stories Through Food commemorates the friendship of two remarkable women, Anita Herzfeld of Lawrence, known for her humanity and scholarship and for her sweet and discerning palate, and Deborah Sivan of Tel aviv, an avid reader whom Anita introduced to LJCC and, nearly on the same order of magnitude, to André’s Confiserie of Kansas City. 

Everyone has a story, and stories are exactly what connect us as human beings. Hearing people share their home cooking traditions and what they have learned from their grandparents, parents, and other relatives offers a meaningful window into their histories. Using food, cooking traditions, and homes as the link between generations and communities, this series aims to help people connect with each other.