Bella Chagall is most often remembered today as the wife and “muse” of the great Jewish painter, Marc Chagall. But Bella was a highly educated and accomplished woman in her own right. Shortly before her untimely death in 1944, she wrote a two-volume Yiddish memoir of her early life.

The first volume, Burning Lights, evokes her Hasidic childhood in Vitebsk, Russia—especially in connection with Jewish holidays and secular “rituals” like the first snowfall of winter. It beautifully conveys a child’s experience of an immersive Jewish life.

The second volume, First Encounter, gives a sense of Bella’s adolescent world. It describes her first meeting with Marc Chagall at a friend’s house and captures the romance of their courtship and early married life in Vitebsk.

Bella did not live to see her memoir published. Marc Chagall oversaw its publication after her death and created the beautiful ink drawings that illustrate both volumes.

Jennifer Stern will lead a guided tour through Bella Chagall’s memoirs, sharing memorable stories, historical context, and Marc Chagall’s original illustrations.

When
Saturday, February 14, 2027
11:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. CT / 2:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. UK / 8:00 p.m. Central Europe

Where
Online via Zoom

Cost
Early Bird: $18
Regular Admission: $25

Speaker:

Jennifer Stern lives near Boston, Massachusetts. She has an M.A. in Art History from Yale University and worked for 26 years in the Art History Department at Brandeis University. She writes about art and culture in both English and Yiddish for the Forverts.