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Home » Animation » Without Walls: NCSY

Without Walls: NCSY

Client: West Coast National Committee of Synagogue Youth (NCSY)
Illustration & whiteboard animation

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annitasobleworks

Raw materials. If they make it through… they’l

Raw materials. If they make it through… they’ll come with me to @havurahfolk Hanukkah Market on Dec. 8th

Oh the joy of drawing badly! ❤️ One of the thi

Oh the joy of drawing badly! ❤️
One of the things that I’ve struggled with, always, is trying to figure out where, something that I’m working on, fits. Everything has a utility to it. So does art. Even if that utility is to inspire - inspiration is still useful. I think most people are too quick to describe things as “inspiring” or maybe it just me that doesn’t trust it. Show things to the wrong people and they’ll ask you: “what is this” or “that’s nice…inspiring”. But show things to the right people … 🤯… and all of the sudden the show you the deep purpose in something that you had no idea existed. I’ve been working on @milkweedthemovie with an amazing core team for slowly for several years now. For most of that time my job was to create atmospheric drawings to show how the film was going to look. Just recently we started taking that atmospheric artwork apart and drawing out how things will move and what will be where at any given moment of the scene. Drawing badly. That’s what I’ve been doing for months. It seems to translate, and I love it! Thanks to @therealmikeowens for sitting down with me regularly to discuss how things will animate. Thanks to the rest of the @milkweedthemovie team who’ve been so supportive in so many ways. You are all my “right people”. ❤️. 20 scenes drawn badly. 45 more to go! If you’d like to support this project please visit: www.milkweedthemovie.com #animation #illustration #moviemaking #animatedfilm #milkweedthemovie #holocausteducation #jerryspinelli

For Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah Thoughts by @

For Shemini Atzeret & Simchat Torah
Thoughts by @drbenjyepstein
Image by @annitasobleworks
#Tishrei #roshHashana #simchatTorah #8thday

“The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 30:12) tells us that after the joy and connection of Sukkot, Hashem says, ‘kashe alai preidatchem’—‘Your separation is difficult for Me.’ He asks us to stay for one more day—Shemini Atzeret. No big fanfare, just a quiet moment to be together. Wouldn’t it be easier to just rip off the band-aid and part ways? But somehow, that extra day brings lasting comfort.

Rilke writes, ‘We are all falling... Still there is one who holds us tenderly as in his hands we fall, fall endlessly.’ In times of deep grief, like the aftermath of last year’s Simchat Torah massacre, we might feel like we’re falling endlessly. But look closely at the word *preidatchem*—the separation isn’t just personal, it’s collective. It’s through the *tzibbur*, our community, that we hold on to one another and find comfort.

Shemini Atzeret falls on the 8th day following the 7 days of Sukkot. In Jewish tradition, 7 represents the natural order—the cycle of creation and completion. But 8 symbolizes what transcends that—something eternal, beyond time and space. Shemini Atzeret is a day that extends beyond time, reminding us that Hashem’s presence and comfort are infinite, flowing through this moment and the next, endlessly. And just as Hashem’s presence is timeless, so too is the tzibbur, the knesset Yisrael—our sacred community that holds us together, beyond the boundaries of time and space.

Through the strength of the tzibbur, we hold on, just as we dance in circles around the Torah on Simchat Torah. The circle, with no beginning and no end, is a symbol of our eternal connection—to Hashem, to one another, and to the Torah that binds us together. In this endless dance, we find comfort and strength, knowing that we are held within a sacred, timeless embrace. (Continued in comments)

Thoughts by @drbenjyepstein Animation by @annitas

Thoughts by @drbenjyepstein
Animation by @annitasobleworks

The source of all our joy comes from one thing: being. This state of simply existing is at the heart of teshuvah (repentance), which literally means “return.” In Hebrew, teshuvah implies a return to one’s essential self, to the core of one’s identity, where you stand before God as your truest self. It’s not just about correcting wrongdoings, but about reconnecting with who you really are in the deepest sense—your pure, authentic self that is always connected to the Divine.

After the introspection of Yom Kippur, Sukkot celebrates a profound shift in perspective: everything in life is constantly changing, yet instead of feeling loss, we experience joy and tranquility. This comes from realizing that while all else is impermanent, our bond with God remains unbreakable. Yisrael, kol makom shehaim yicholim lirot et Hashem yitbarach—sham beitam: wherever the Jewish people can see God’s presence, that is their true home.

Yom Kippur lifts the weight of sin, returning us to the root of our identity, shedding guilt and shame. In the sukkah, we are embraced by the wings of the Divine Presence. This temporary dwelling represents the realization that, even amidst impermanence, we are held by something eternal. In this sacred space, we rediscover our true selves, and from this clarity, the joy of Sukkot naturally flows.

Sukkot reminds us that life is full of uncertainty, but our joy comes from an unshakable truth: we are always held by God. There are no guarantees of safety, and we will inevitably fall, but within the sukkah’s fragile walls, we find faith even in the fall. “The place upon which you stand is holy soil” (Exodus 3:5) teaches us that holiness is found not in permanence, but in recognizing the Divine presence wherever we are, especially in our most vulnerable moments. This is the joy of Sukkot—finding peace not in the absence of turbulence, but in the certainty that we are always embraced by God’s unwavering presence.
#sukkot #succos #tishrei #jewishHoliday

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