• October 9, 2024

Special collection of Michael Rogatchi works from his famed Psalms Country series was a part of the national commemoration of October 7th in Finland skilfully organised by the Helsinki Jewish Community, with participation of The Rogatchi Foundation. 

A very dignified, deep and sincere commemoration at the historical synagogue in Helsinki which  was completely full, with very many attendees from different walks of life: community members, MPs, public figures, diplomats, people in absolutely all age categories, from 15 onward. The event also included a dedicated  art exhibition in which a special selection of Michael and mine works, Psalms & Songs for October 7th, was presented. 

Among the attendees were the Ambassadors of Israel H.E. Boaz Rodkin, Germany H.E. Stephan Auer , Austria H.E. Herbert Pihler , Hungary H.E. Klara Breuer, Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy HE Christopher Krafft , the Israeli Embassy Defence Attache Lt-Col. Roy Horowitz, leading Finnish MPs Peter Östman and Atte Kaleva, chairman of the Finnish-Israel Friendship Organisations Association Risto Huvila, well-known pastor and supporter of Israel John Remes, and many others. 

Michael Rogatchi, co-founder of The Rogatchi Foundation, has participated in the October 7th  commemorative event of the Helsinki Jewish Community in Finland with selected works from their special dual collection, artistic tribute Psalms & Songs for October 7th ©, which is a part of a special international project presented in Finland, Lithuania, France, Canada, the US, the UK and the other countries world-wide. 

The collection consists seven artistic interpretations of the  Psalms  by Michael.

Michael’s artistic journey through the country of the Psalms , echoing the title of his series, Psalms Country, started in early 1990s. From then, he was returning to the theme periodically. The October 7th and the new reality it has marked has prompted Michael to return to the Psalms again. 

In this commemorative artistic tribute, alongside previously existing interpretations of the Psalms, there are three new works, two of which were created by Michael as direct consequence of October 7th, Psalm 1 and Psalm 87.

Special October 7th tribute essay by the president of the Rogatchi Foundation Inna Rogatchi: Psalms & Songs for October 7th: Artistic Tribute at the time of Moral Erosion.

Detailed report about the event by The Rogatchi Foundation can be find here.

• October 7, 2024

Special selection of seven works from the Michael Rogatchi Psalms Country series has been presented by The Rogatchi Foundation at the national October 7th commemoration organised by the Helsinki Jewish Community in Finland, and several other countries world-wide.

The detailed presentation of Michael and Inna Rogatchi and the Rogatchi Foundation special artistic tribute international commemorative project is below.

Specially selected artworks include seven works from Michael Rogatchi Psalms Country series ( from 1991 onward) .

Some of the works in this artistic tribute have been created by Michael as a direct consequence of the October 7th 2023 massacre. 

Psalms & Songs for October 7th special artistic tribute has been present at the various national commemorative events  in several countries, including Finland, Lithuania, France, the US, the UK and the others.  

The entire Psalms & Songs for October 7th collection in detail can be seen here.

The collection has evoked many positive responses world-wide:

Inna Rogatchi’s special essay Psalms & Songs for October 7th: Artistic Tribute in the Time of Moral Erosion  provides details of the works and places the art tribute in the historical and present contexts.

In September 2024, a new bi-lingual art catalogue Shtetl Stories & Memories in Lithuanian and English was produced and published in cooperation between The Rogatchi Foundation and The Grigory Kanovich Public Library of Jonava Municipality, Lithuania.  

The catalogue has been published on the occasion of the opening of the inaugural exhibition of a 25-piece special Shtetl Stories and Memories collection of artworks by Michael and Inna Rogatchi which The Rogatchi Foundation has donated to the Library in commemoration of the 95th anniversary of the outstanding writer and friend of the Rogatchi family Grigory Kanovich. 

The leading essay of the catalogue is written by Dr Michael de Saint-Cheron ( Paris, France), a close disciple of the famed French philosopher of the Litvak origin Emmanuelis Levinas, a close friend and colleague of Elie Wiesel, founder and president of the Andre Malraux Association, and the author of recent monographies on Pierre Soulages and Anselm Kiefer. Among other contributors are Dr Hannu Takkula, a long-term MEP and Member of the EU Audit Court, and well-known Lithuanian artist and art curator Alexandra Jakovsyte. 

The catalogue provides an art experts contextualised study of Michael and Inna Rogatchi art series included into Shtetl Stories and Memories collection. 

Both artists have contributed their personal introductions to the special project. 

The catalogue includes 26 full-page art plates with all works from the collection. 

After the inaugural exhibition at the Grigory Kanovich Public Library of Jonava Municipality ( until November 25th, 2024), the exhibition is planned to travel throughout Lithuania to be shown at different cultural institutions from the beginning of 2025 onward, with the catalogue to accompany the forthcoming exhibitions and events. 

The donated by the Rogatchi Foundation to the Grigory Kanovich Public Jonava Library collection includes: 

Full Michael Rogatchi Shtetl Songs collection. 

In commemoration of the 95th anniversary of an outstanding writer and friend of the Rogatchi family late Grigory Kanovich ( 1929, Lithuania  – 2023, Israel ) and marking the European Days of Jewish Culture 2024, with its designated theme Family, the Rogatchi Foundation has donated a 25-piece special art collection Shtetl Songs to the Grigory Kanovich Public Library of the Jonava Municipality District, Lithuania. 

The collection consists of Michael Rogatchi’s 15-piece Shtetl Stories collection and Inna Rogatchi’s 11-piece Shtetl Memories series and includes both original works by both artists and exclusive museum prints of their works produced for the project specifically. 

The Rogatchi Foundation has also donated to the Grigory Kanovich Public Jonava Library licensing rights for the images of the artworks in the donated collection in support of the Library cultural and educational projects. 

All works by both Michael and Inna Rogatchi visit the theme of Jewish heritage, focusing on reminiscences to shtetl. The theme is well-known to both artists due to their respective families’ stories and origins. Inna and Michael Rogatchi both tell about it in their introductions to the collection in the Shtetl Songs art catalogue which has been published for the occasion of the donation of the collection and its inaugural exhibition at the Grigory Kanovich Public Library in Jonava, Lithuania. 

15 artworks by Michael Rogatchi represents the artist’s well-known series on various themes of Jewish history and heritage, including his Shtetl Stories, Jewish Melody, Psalms Country, Daily Miracle and In the Mirror of the Shoah. 11 works by Inna Rogatchi are from the artist’s Songs of Our Souls and Shtetl Memories series. 

The entire collection has been donated by the artists and their The Rogatchi Foundation to the Grigory Kanovich Public Library of the Jonava Municipality in Lithuania at the special ceremony on September 12th, 2024. The ceremony was part of the extensive program of the annual European Days of Jewish Culture, which has FAMILY as the theme in 2024. 

The Rogatchi Foundation also licensed all images of the donated collection to the Library with the purpose of the ongoing support of their wide and versatile educational and cultural activities. 

The 25-piece Shtetl Stories and Memories collection will be exhibited in the Library in Joanav until the end of November 2024, after which the exhibition will travel throughout Lithuania from 2025 onward. After its tour, the Rogatchi Collection will return to the Jonava Library as part of the Library Permanent Art Collection.

Full Michael Rogatchi Shtetl Songs collection. 

In September 2024, Michael Rogatchi conducted an IMAGINATION master-class during a series of multi-disciplinary events of The Rogatchi Foundation in Lithuania. 

The artist’s master-class was conducted at the Grigory Kanovich Public Library in Jonava, Lithuania. His students become 15-17-year old students of the Jonava schools. 

During a very engaging master-class, the artist spoke about the crucial role of imagination in the process of visual art and its practical application, referred to mutual influence of different arts to the process and especially the role of music in the process of creation, and taught his students special details during practical application of creating new artworks. 

Due to a strong public demand, the master-classes of Michael will continue with and via the Foundation Lithuanian partners in a near future.

On September 9th, Michael Rogatchi and his wife Inna Rogatchi participated in a warm, interesting and important event in Helsinki, Finland, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Library of the Helsinki Jewish Community.

In commemoration of the date, the artist donated to the library a museum giclee produced in only copy of his famous Heeding the Book painting:

At very well attended event, with presence of the Israeli Ambassador and The Head of the Mission to Finland , many leading Finnish intellectuals and academics, prominent members of the Helsinki Jewish Community, and foreign guests from Sweden, Italy, the UK and Israel Michael Rogatchi donated the museum replica of his artwork to the librarian Jutta Leffkowitsch and told briefly about the history and background of this special artwork.

In his speech, the artist remembered the essential importance of a subject of a book to his family, to every Jewish family, to Jewish tradition. He enlightened the public with reflections to his family story in which reading books for gathered family, friends and guests was a nightly tradition for years. Often, the books were read aloud in the light of a candles or oil lamps, in the absence of electricity. It is significant and always unique how children’s memories are appearing in adult’s creative works many years later.

Everybody present at the special event was highly appreciative to the artist for his gesture. The donated artwork will be placed on the new wall which the Helsinki community builds for the Library.

“There is everything in this fantastic work of Art: knowledge, curiosity, enlightening, attraction to intellectual power, spirituality. There is no doubt that this painting will stay in and with Helsinki Jewish community for good, in generations” – said in appreciation Paula Hovav, a senior community member.