Heeb 100

Jackson Hole is not the first place most people would associate with Heeb.

But Heeb, a Jewish and Brooklyn-born magazine that has energized an era of young intellectuals, has put the valley on its national tour to promote the Heeb 100 exhibit, and, effectively, put Jackson on the map of Jewish culture.

The traveling photography exhibit is a tribute to the mag’s annual issue spotlighting 100 of the most culturally-influencing Jews of the past year. With regular features on media darlings, such as this month’s cover girl Courtney Love, to readers columns on anti-Israel United Nations Ambassadors, the mag is no stranger to controversy and has a reputation for straying a bit left of traditional Jewish content.

So, why is Heeb wasting time with the Hole, a valley that is not quite known as hub for Jews? Because its not just all about the numbers and traditional Jewish communities, said Josh Neuman, Heeb’s editor and publisher.

“We have hosted successful events in Brooklyn that are all well-attended for the last seven years,” Neuman said. “But that will never be the sole criteria of our success.” With recent media trends shifting online, it is increasingly important to reach a healthy cross-section of Jewish communities, particularly those outside of big cities like New York, Neuman said.

Business aside, Neuman said Heeb’s director of business, Adam Baruchowitz, had been begging for a ski vacation.

Adam Baruchowitz

Heeb’s mission of reaching the “plugged in and preached out” has garnered a respectable following. The Heeb 100 is announced annually in the fall and published in the magazine. The 100 is eventually turned into an art exhibit. This year marks the first year the exhibit has had an extensive national tour, and the local Jackson Hole Jewish Community organization is credited with much of the work in placing Jackson on this year’s list of stops. Mary Grossman, who serves on the board of the Jackson Hole Jewish Community, took the lead on rallying support for the project, she said.

The exhibit will most likely raise some eyebrows, but after all, culturally substantive dialogue and a chance to catch up with other Jewish community members is what the event is all about, Grossman added.

The exhibit will follow a string of events involving the Jackson Hole Jewish Community, including the Fighting the Fires of Hate exhibit and Paperclips screening at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts during Holocaust Awareness Week. The community organization is also one of the sponsors behind the live satellite broadcasts from the 92nd Street Y Cultural Center in New York City at the Teton County Library.

Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary gallery will show the Heeb 100 exhibit on March 6. The exhibit will be the the center piece of LMC’s popular First Night Friday series. McCandless said she is also hoping to highlight local Jewish artists during the event.

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