The Personal Mikdash
A Chanukah Offering | Jerusalem, 2024/25 | Outside Jaffa Gate
In December 2024, The Personal Mikdash was presented just outside Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem as a participatory outdoor installation honoring the spirit of Chanukah.
Over eight nights, artist Elana Langer created a space where visitors, already drawn to Jerusalem to experience its light, could engage with the ritual in a creative and participatory way. Each evening visitors were invited to experience the Personal Mikdash in their own way; to light candles, to make blessings, to sing songs, to reflect, and share in moments of ritual and connection - and to write a prayer for the ways they want their light to influence and effect the jewish nation and the entire planet. The work transformed public space into a temporary temple-studio—inviting all to engage in a the spiritual practice of Chanukah - namely bringing our light out to the streets and shining it unselfconsciously out to the world.
