Am Yisrael High

YIVO’s Newest Exhibition Tells the Story of Jews and Cannabis
Opening Night Thursday, May 5, 2022

(New York, NY) – The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is thrilled to announce the opening of its first on-site exhibition since COVID to take place on Thursday, May 5, Am Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and Cannabis. Am Yisrael High will be on view at YIVO, located in the Center for Jewish History building (15 West 16 Street, New York, New York) from opening night through the end of the year.

Surprising to some there is a rich history and long relationship between Jews and cannabis. References to this plant appear in the Bible, the Talmud, and numerous other Jewish texts. Rabbis, from Rambam to R’ Moshe Feinstein, have considered it in their writings. Cannabis has been used by Jews in religious ritual and for medicinal purposes from ancient times until today.

More recently, Jews have been at the forefront of scientific research and medical applications of cannabis. Many Jews have also been deeply involved in the counterculture and medical marijuana movements, both of which strove for legalization in different ways. Commercial aspects of the modern cannabis industry, from horticulture to distribution to paraphernalia, have also involved numerous Jewish businesspeople.

The exhibit will explore the contributions Jews have made in the field of cannabis by showcasing materials from medieval documents to dozens of contemporary artifacts ranging from rare original art to menorah bongs.

“While activity in the many realms of cannabis involves all kinds of people, not only members of the tribe, many Jews have played significant roles in a number of aspects related to cannabis and their connection warrants inquiry,” said Eddy Portnoy, YIVO’s Academic Advisor & Exhibitions Curator and author of Bad Rabbi: And Other Strange But True Stories from the Yiddish Press. “The story of Jews and cannabis begins in ancient times and connects to religion, science, medicine, and law. It’s a story that continues to evolve.”

Am Yisrael High will kick off with an opening night event on Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 7:00pm (ET), featuring a panel discussion moderated by the exhibit’s
creator Eddy Portnoy, who will provide a brief overview of the relationship between Jews and cannabis. Panelists include horticulturist, educator, and legalization activist Ed Rosenthal, attorney Adriana Kertzer, Rabbi/Dr. Yosef Glassman, and journalist Madison Margolin. Their discussion will consider the many connections of the Jews to cannabis – religious and spiritual, historical, scientific, and more.

Program:      Exhibition Opening of Am Yisrael High: The Story of Jews and Cannabis
When:            Thursday, May 5, 2022 at 7:00pm (ET)
Where:          YIVO Institute for Jewish Research Located in the Center for Jewish History 15 West 16 Street, New York, NY and live on Zoom
Reservations Available at:  yivo.org/Cannabis-Opening
Cost:              Free

For more information contact:
Shelly Freeman
Chief of Staff

Alex Weiser
Director of Public Programs

THE SPEAKERS

Ed Rosenthal is a leading cannabis horticulture expert, educator, and legalization activist. Reverently given the nickname “Guru of Ganja” by High Times Magazine, Ed has propelled the effort to legalize marijuana, leading the movement to “grow your own” marijuana for nearly 50 years.

In 1999 Ed was deputized as an officer of the City of Oakland, where he oversaw starter plant operations so that medical patients could grow their own marijuana. His ensuing highly publicized Federal trial in 2003 shifted public opinion in favor of state medical marijuana laws.

He is the author and editor of more than a dozen books on marijuana cultivation and social policy, including his latest, Cannabis Grower’s Handbook. “While using marijuana may not be addictive, growing it is,” says Ed. “If my other books helped you grow, Cannabis Grower’s Handbook will take you to new highs."
Rosenthal is the founder of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Green Aid: The Medical Marijuana Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Madison Margolin is a journalist covering psychedelics, cannabis, spirituality, and Jewish life. She is the cofounder of DoubleBlind Magazine and has written for publications like Rolling Stone, Playboy, and Vice, among others. Also a cofounder of the Jewish Psychedelic Summit and host of the Set & Setting podcast on the Be Here Now Network, Madison has traveled from cannabis farms in Northern California to underground ceremonies in Brooklyn to the shores of the Ganges River and all over Israel|Palestine, reporting on the role of entheogens in religion, culture, and healing.

Adriana Kertzer is a Brazilian-American partner at Plant Medicine Law Group, a psychedelics and cannabis law firm. Adriana began her legal career as a corporate associate on Simpson Thacher & Bartlett’s Latin American capital markets team. Adriana has since drawn on her love of contracts as an entrepreneur in the fields of contemporary culture, real estate and cannabis, as well as in her role as Senior Advisor to the Senior Deputy Chairman at the National Endowment for the Arts under President Obama. Adriana is the author of the book Favelization: The Imaginary Brazil in Contemporary Film, Fashion and Design originally published by the Cooper Hewitt Museum (Smithsonian Institution) and the series Rebranding Pot. She is passionate about Jewish psychedelic culture, leads the interfaith working group Faith+Delics, and founded JewWhoTokes, an Instagram account that explores relationships with cannabis and psychedelics in the Jewish community.

Rabbi Dr. Yosef Glassman is board certified physician in Internal Medicine & Geriatrics and a specialist in Jewish cannabinoid therapeutics. After his fellowship in general internal medicine at Johns Hopkins, he taught clinical geriatrics at both Tufts and Harvard Medical Schools. During this period, Dr. Glassman obtained s’micha from the President of the Toronto Rabbinical Council, Rabbi Dovid Schochet, after having studied both at Yeshivos Hilchos Olam and Shalom Rav in Tzfat. While living in Israel, Dr. Glassman served as a lieutenant in IDF medical corps near Dimona, and as a physician for members of the Israeli Knesset while directing a unit for clinical research at Hadassah Ein Kerem University Medical Center. While directing the department in Jerusalem, he was also certified as a mohel by Rabbi Yehuda Giat of Mercaz HaRav.

Rabbi Dr. Glassman writes for, and has appeared in several features in OU, Hidabroot, Baltimore Jewish Times, Jewish Advocate, the Huffington Post, TabletMag, and the NJ Jewish Link for his work in integrative geritrics and cannabinoid therapeutics.

As trustee for the LifeLineLegalfund.com, he has appeared on on ABC News, CBS News, FoxNews, the USA Today Network, the cover of Ami Magazine, the Jerusalem Post and interviewed on i24 News for his work fighting for the rights of older and frail patients in the US.

Dr. Glassman currently directs the hospitalist program at the community hospital in Lakewood, NJ as he and his family eagerly await the Moshiach and an imminent return to Israel to complete his final project, Go2IsraelNow.com.

Eddy Portnoy is a specialist on Jewish popular culture. He currently serves as Academic Advisor for the Max Weinreich Center and Exhibition Curator at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The exhibitions he has created for YIVO have won plaudits from The New York Times, VICE, The Forward, and others. He is the author of Bad Rabbi and Other Strange but True Stories from the Yiddish Press (Stanford University Press 2017).

YIVO

The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research is dedicated to the preservation and study of the history and culture of East European Jewry worldwide. For nearly a century, YIVO has pioneered new forms of Jewish scholarship, research, education, and cultural expression. Our public programs and exhibitions, as well as online and on-site courses, extend our outreach to a global community. The YIVO Archives contains 24 million unique items and YIVO’s Library has over 400,000 volumes—the single largest resource for the study of East European Jewish life in the world. yivo.org / yivo.org/the-whole-story