Recap: Chassidus in Color Winners Invite New Artists to Join

As the due date for this year’s Chassidus in Color Education Edition rapidly approaches, we take a look back at last year’s award ceremony and gallery exhibition. Full Story

March 17, 2026 – 28 Adar 5786

As the due date for this year’s Chassidus in Color Education Edition rapidly approaches, we take a look back at last year’s award ceremony and gallery exhibition. Full Story

s the due date for this year’s Chassidus in Color Education Edition rapidly approaches, we take a look back at last year’s award ceremony and gallery exhibition. The Jewish Children’s Museum hosted an awe-inspiring exhibition of Geula-themed artwork from talented artists across the globe.

The gallery, held at the Jewish Children’s Museum, featured contestants from around the world whose stunning artworks created a truly immersive Geula experience. The exhibition displayed the finalists’ pieces in a beautiful array, culminating in the announcement of seven winners and celebrating the creativity and meaning all participants wove into their pieces.

A Night of Inspiration

The event was sponsored by Joburg’s Fitz Baumgarten and Yehuda Holtzburg and livestreamed by Collive, allowing viewers around the world to participate.

The artwork was curated by Miriam Rappaport and carefully installed through the intensive efforts of Avraham Yitzchok Abrams, Yosef Chaim Toby, Simcha Vogel, Berel Keller, and Sruli Gold. Event planner Rochee Segal created the evening’s elegant layout, and Videographer Mordy Levilev captured the event with his personal touch.

Addressing the audience, Rabbi Simon Jacobson, host of the competition, shared words about the powerful role art can play in expressing Chassidic ideas.

Judge Michoel Muchnik also spoke, reflecting on the inspiration behind the contest and the impact of seeing the concepts of Chassidus expressed through visual creativity. Alter Deitsch’s natural skill as MC breathed life into the entirety of the evening.

The distinguished panel of judges: Michoel Muchnik, Rabbi Yossi Paltiel, Rabbi Mendy Wolf, Mush Kanner, Estee Klein, and Esther Maxwell spent hours carefully deliberating over each piece.
As the winners were announced, the excitement in the room was palpable.

The Seven Winning Artists
Professional Tier
First Place: Jeremy Garrett- Brooklyn, NY
2nd Place: Chaya Hindy Neugarten- Brooklyn, NY
3rd Place: Esther Pollak- Santiago, Chile

Hobbyist Tier
1st Place: Sara Friedman- Hallandale Beach, Florida
2nd Place: Devorah Leah Eidelman- Roseville, CA
3rd Place: Hanna Sugar-Crown Heights, NY

Prodigy Award (Contestants Ages 15–18)
Akiva Forer- Florida

Professional Tier:
Jeremy Garrett – Brooklyn, NY
Chaya Hindy Neugarten – Brooklyn, NY
Esther Pollak – Santiago, Chile

Hobbyist Tier
Sara Friedman – Hallandale Beach, Florida
Devorah Leah Eidelman – Roseville, CA
Hanna Sugar – Crown Heights, NY

Prodigy Award- (Contestants Between 15-18)
Akiva Forer

Artist Name: Jeremy Garrett

Art Title: The Perfect Faith of Nachshon
Blurb: Barely out of slavery, the fledgling Israelite nation stood at the shore of the yam suf, trapped by the sea and Pharaoh’s army. Panic set in—but not for Nachshon ben Aminadav. He was the archetypal Chabadnik, ever striving and never relenting in the service of Hashem. He didn’t think about how to sacrifice himself, rather to do what Hashem says—and if it required self-sacrifice, he was ready for that too, just like Avraham Avinu. As the Rebbe said: “One fellow named Nachshon jumped into the sea… He knew that G‑d wanted Israel to move onward toward Sinai. There was a sea in his way. So he jumped into the sea and plowed on toward his goal.” When one approaches the world like Nachshon—in which there is one agenda: to get closer to the goal—then Hashem performs krias yam suf and removes the obstacle.
Source: Likkutei Sichos Vol. 1
Material: Oils on board
Dimensions: 13×19″

Artist Name: Chaya Hindy Neugarten

Art Title: “A Door Between Worlds”
Blurb: This piece explores the quiet tension between concealment and revelation. Redemption doesn’t destroy exile—it transforms it. Even within darkness, sparks of Geula already exist. We need only open the door and let the light in. A weathered door stands before us—marked by sorrow, time, and story. Yet its cracks do not conceal; they invite. Through the keyhole, a burst of light reveals a radiant garden, a soaring eagle, the promise of redemption not beyond the door, but within it. The worn key nearby speaks of memory and potential. Above, olive branches descend—symbols of resilience and hidden light, like the oil of the Menorah. Geula is not distant. It’s here—shining through the cracks, waiting to be revealed.
Source: Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 35, Shemos
Material: Acrylic on canvas, mixed media
Dimensions: 24×36″

Esther Pollak

Artwork Title: Harmony
MATERIAL: Oil on canvas
DIMENSION: 19×25 inches

When Moshiach comes, “golah” will become “geulah” through the introduction of the letter א. This letter represents the consciousness of G-d as the Creator and Master of everything that exists, as well as the revelation of pnimiyus haTorah, the inner dimension of the Torah. Once this completion occurs, the world will reach its perfect, ideal state where the strong will no longer harm, exploit and kill the weak, but rather all individuals, peoples and nations, large or small, rich or poor, will follow the lead of the Jewish people, the children of G-d, to serve Him in peaceful harmony.

Artist Name: Sara Friedman

Art Title: The Paradigm Reveal
Blurb: When Moshiach comes, the world will continue as we know it—עולם כמנהגו נוהג—yet the Rebbe teaches that the revelation of Hashem’s light will be so intense that even our physical bodies will perceive the Divine energy sustaining creation. It will be as if a veil is lifted, revealing the G-dliness that was always present in every part of our world. In Galus, each of us carries a divine spark, cloaked in physicality, and our task is to awaken these sparks and prepare ourselves and the world for redemption. Now, standing at the edge of Geulah, it is through our Torah and Mitzvos that we will merit the full revelation of Hashem’s light and the arrival of Moshiach, on eagle’s wings, speedily in our days.
Source: Sicha Shabbos Parshas Vayetzei; Tes Kislev 5752
Material: Acrylic on canvas with metallic highlights
Dimensions: 24×24”

Artist Name: Devorah Leah Eidelman

Art Title: The Real View
Blurb: Tanya explains that everything in this world, even the inanimate, has the constant words of Hashem infused into it, keeping it in existence. The differences found in creation to create each specific form are derived from the exact combination of letters of the 10 utterances connected with that entity. For if Hashem were to stop uttering the 10 utterances for even one moment, the world would cease to exist. This picture depicts how we will actually be able to see this in the era of Moshiach, as it says in the possuk ונגלה כבוד ה’ וראו כל בשר יחדו כי פי ה’ דבר. The magnifying glass represents the lens of Moshiach, revealing that which was previously hidden, the words of Hashem found in everything around us.
Source: Tanya and Likkutei Sichos Vol. 14
Material: Color pencil
Dimensions: 14×17”

Artist Name: Hannah Sugar

Art Title: From Golus to Ge’ulah
Blurb: Chabad Chassidus teaches that bringing Moshiach is a gradual process, built not only on our efforts, but also on those who came before us. In Basi Legani, the Rebbe describes our generation as the “seventh”—special not through our own merit, but because we follow the first. As the Rebbe says, we are like dwarfs on giants’ shoulders. This painting reflects the painful stages of golus—from Egypt and the Beis Hamikdash’s destruction, to the Holocaust and post–October 7th Israel—set against the dawn of Redemption. In the spirit of Basi Legani, “I have come to My garden,” the wolf and lamb lie peacefully near the rebuilt Beis Hamikdash. May we soon merit to say: “Next year in Jerusalem!”
Source: Ma’amer Basi Legani, and from a talk of the Rebbe on the last day of Pesach 5742
Material: Acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 20×32″

Artist Name: Akiva Forer

Art Title: Geula Journeys
Blurb: In Chassidus, Krias Yam Suf – the splitting of the Sea – revealed hidden G-dliness, awakening faith, and prepared the soul. Matan Torah then unified heaven and earth, introducing the possibility to bring holiness into this world through Torah and Mitzvos. The Moshiach era completes this process, when G-d’s essence will be fully revealed and the world transformed into a dwelling place for G-d. Together, the 3 integral scenes shown in this painting mark a journey from revelation to integration to ultimate fulfillment.
Material: Wooden canvas and acrylic paint markers
Dimensions: 40×40”

A Message to This Year’s Artists
Below are video messages from last year’s winners inviting new artists to join this year’s Chassidus in Color Art Contest.