The United Jewish Federation of Tidewater is proud to offer the community access to collections that feature a variety of mediums in our Leon Family Gallery, located on the second floor landing at the Simon Family JCC. 

 

 

Each exhibit we present throughout the year represents Israeli and/or Jewish artists, spotlighting talent from within our Tidewater community, or from around the globe.

 

All exhibits are free and open to the public. Upcoming exhibits and meet-the-artist events are announced in our twice-monthly newsletter. Click here to sign up for that correspondence. 

 

Gallery Hours
Monday – Thursday | 9 am – 8:00 pm
Friday | 9 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday & Sunday  | 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

 

UPCOMING GALLERY EVENTS

CURRENTLY ON EXHIBIT AT THE LEON FAMILY GALLERY & COPELAND CARDO ATRIUM

 

 

COMING IN JANUARY 2025

Through My Eyes: A War Diary by Shahar Dekel

 

This is my War Diary - an unfiltered look through my eyes as a resident of Kibbutz Nahal Oz and a reservist on the frontlines in Gaza and Lebanon.

 

I want to share this window into our lives on the battlefield. It's all here - the raw struggles we face daily, the unbreakable bonds we form, and how we cope with the impossible. Out here, we experience everything from the haunting smell of death to moments of pure joy, such as proposals and weddings.

 

This is my story - not just as a soldier, but as someone whose home became a battlefield. It's about how we keep living, fighting, and even finding moments of hope in the darkest times. Through my lens, I'm documenting both our worst days and our most human moments, showing what this war really looks like from the inside.

 

Artist Bio


Shahar Dekel is a filmography student at the Sapir Academic College in the South of Israel, and works as a photographer.

 

Passionate for all that cinema has to offer, Dekel has worked on a variety of projects, both large and small, and has developed a style that is both creative and professional.

 

Since October 7th, Dekel has been displaced from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz in the Gaza Envelope. He has served as a reserve soldier in the IDF since October 8th, during which period he also married.

 

Dekel’s mission is to bring to life the stories of others, creating visuals that will last for generations to come. He believes everyone has a story to tell, and it is his job to help them tell it in the best way possible.

 

Dekel’s project “War Diary” documents the routine of being a soldier, a reality he has lived and breathed since October 8, 2023. He is drawn to the mundane, simple, marginal moments of this inconceivable situation.

Effrat Levy

Leon Family Gallery Hall of Remembrance

 

The Hall of Remembrance will feature the names of over 1500 Israelis who have lost their lives on or since October 7 at the hands of terrorists interspersed with prints of art by various Israeli artists who have used their art as a way to take action, tell the stories of individuals, call for political action, and foster unity.

 

THANK YOU TO OUR GENEROUS PATRONS OF THE ARTS AND SPONSORS:

Karen and Avraham Ashkenazi
Susan P. Barr
Wendy Jo and Ronald Brodsky
Stephanie Calliott and Don London
Armond and Rose Caplan Foundation
Billye Roy and Jeff Chernitzer
Susan and Andrew Cohen
Lynn and Sadie Sher Cohen
Ann and Robert Copeland
Cheryl Dronzek
Barbara Dudley
Susan and Jim Eilberg
Lois and Barry Einhorn
Mona and Jeffrey Flax
Alan and Esther Fleder Foundation
Anne and Lawrence Fleder
Fox Pest Control
Shari Friedman and Andrew King
Alicia and Robert Friedman
Jeri Jo Halprin
Susan Alper and Steven Harwood
Connie Jacobson
 

Jaffe Family Fund
Carol and Joel Jason
Betsy and Ed Karotkin
Jodi and Jay Klebanoff
Teresa Knecht and Marc Lindgren
Anne and Edward Kramer
Celia Krichman Charitable Trust
Sierra and Steven Lautman
Edward Legum
Robert Lehman
Caren and Mrs. Stephen Leon
David Leon
Sandra Porter Leon and Miles Leon
Betty Ann and Scott Levin
Joan London
Robin and Matthew Mancoll
Laura and Jerry Miller
Marcia and Burton Moss
Stacie and Marc Moss
Andrew Nusbaum

Raul Palenzuela
Poole Brooke Plumlee PC
Mrs. Elinore Porter
Lisa and Howard Roesen
Sharon and Gene Ross
Sara Jo and Joel Rubin
Shikma and Danny Rubin
Deborah and Peter Segaloff
Laure and Richard Saunders
Beth Scharlop and Roger Schultz
Miriam Seeherman
Patricia and Herman Shelanski
Lynn Schoenbaum
Leslie and Lawrence Siegel
Edward Soltz
Lawrence Steingold
Renee and John Strelitz
Tidewater Jewish Foundation
Jody and Alan Wagner
Amy and Frank Zelenka

 


 

 


 

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Contact Hunter Thomas, Director of Arts + Ideas, at HThomas@UJFT.org or (757)965-6137.