Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Not your bubbie's hobby

Next Sunday, a (religiously) traditional grandmother who has been honored by the OU's women's division will open the World Erotic Art Museum on Miami Beach, made up of 4,000 objects from her personal collection, valued at some $10 million -- "considered to be the greatest collection of fine erotic art in the United States." Until now, millionaire Naomi Wilzig has had to house the pieces in just one of her homes -- " I never put [them] up in Jersey because rabbis and community leaders came to visit regularly" -- and has had to juggle preparing for the opening of the museum with preparing for the Yamim Noraim,
buying honey and apples, candles to light to welcome the New Year. She reconciles her faith and her work with an earthy panache. "I was a little apprehensive about telling my dear family rabbi of 40 years, but when I finally got the guts to tell him, he told me `Naomi, you're a smart woman, I always knew you'd do something important.'"
Well, at least she knows what she's praying to be forgiven for this Yom Kippur!

1 comment:

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