“Flowing through Time and Tradition” opens at UC Berkeley’s Magnes this fall

Opening August 28, 2025, Flowing through Time and Tradition is a new exhibition at the University of California, Berkeley’s Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life. Exploring the theme of water, the exhibition uses the Magnes’s extensive holdings to examine how this vital element has shaped Jewish lives across centuries. It traces water’s role in sustaining life, building communities, and influencing Jewish identity and spirituality.

“Flowing through Time and Tradition offers a unique lens on the formation of Jewish life and experiences through the multifaceted significance of water. Each object serves as a portal, transporting visitors across time and place to reveal how water intricately weaves through Jewish beliefs, practices, origin stories, and histories, extending to the present day in the Bay Area.” – Achinoam Aldouby, Associate Curator at the Magnes

“Flowing through Time and Tradition offers a unique lens on the formation of Jewish life and experiences through the multifaceted significance of water,” Achinoam Aldouby, the exhibition’s curator shared. “Each object serves as a portal, transporting visitors across time and place to reveal how water intricately weaves through Jewish beliefs, practices, origin stories, and histories, extending to the present day in the Bay Area. Tracing how water shapes Jewish life, Flowing invites a reflection on the sources and forces that shape our understanding of the world and our place within it.”

Water, a fundamental element for all life, holds a profound and often symbolic power. It nourishes and cleanses, divides and connects, and its presence or absence has historically sculpted landscapes, cultures, and individual narratives. Flowing through Time and Tradition invites visitors to engage through sight, sound, and hands-on activities to reflect on these powerful forces.

“Our newest exhibition beautifully demonstrates how the Magnes’s collections can connect people of all backgrounds with the richness of Jewish life,” stated Hannah Weisman, Executive Director of the Magnes. “Because water holds life-sustaining and symbolic importance across cultures, visitors will find something meaningful and relatable in Flowing through Time and Tradition, whether they arrive with deep knowledge of Jewish practice or are just beginning to learn.” 

As a Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action volunteer environmentalist and the State Coastal Conservancy North Coast Program Manager, Dr. Joel Gerwein finds the exhibition very meaningful. “As we face drought and sea level rise, Jewish wisdom reminds us that water can give life and holiness if we live in right relationship with it.”

The exhibition is organized around four compelling themes: Believing, Sustaining, Cleansing, and (Dis)Placing. It features 65 objects—including sculptures, textiles, photographs, paintings, prints, rare books, and manuscripts—that span from the 16th to the 20th century. These remarkable artworks and artifacts originate from over a dozen countries, such as India, Cyprus, Russia, Israel, Belgium, Syria, Egypt, and the United States, showcasing the global nature and varied experiences of Jewish life. Recordings of local residents sharing prayers and songs related to water from various Jewish traditions and communities allow visitors to bridge the historical and spiritual legacy of water with Jewish life in the Bay Area today.

Located at 2121 Allston Way just steps away from the Downtown Berkeley BART station, the museum will present a series of monthly Gallery Tours and curator-led Beit Midrash Study Sessions inspired by the art and objects in the exhibition. Both will begin Sunday, September 21, 2025.  The exhibition opens to the public on Thursday, August 28, 2025 and additional programming will be offered throughout the run of the exhibition.