Jerusalem-born Zoe Manor grew up in Denver and graduated from Denver School of the Arts. She completed her undergraduate degree in political communication and graphic design at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Today, Manor lives in Denver and designs social media for various enterprises. She adopted toy poodle Winnie in 2021.
What do you do professionally?
I’m the social media coordinator for an organization called I Was Supposed To Have A Baby. I design their Instagram posts, newsletters and any other visual materials.
I also freelance for The Jew Hate Database, which tracks, documents and exposes incidents of hatred toward Jews globally. I design social media posts, build branding decks, edit videos — whatever they need me to do.
I also produce and design branding for a new podcast from Israel Experience called Israel Unfiltered, a realistic guide to real life in Israel.
And I have also recently started designing and consulting social media for the Hostage Family Forum in Israel.
How did growing up both Israeli and American impact you?
My dual heritage has afforded me a unique perspective on the world. Growing up, “The best of both worlds” was the theme song for Hannah Montana, but it ultimately became the most accurate description of my life.
My maternal great grandparents immigrated to America through Ellis Island in the 1920s, and settled in Brooklyn. My mom was raised in Great Neck, NY and made aliyah in her mid-20s after meeting my dad on a trip to Israel.
My paternal grandparents immigrated to Israel from Morocco in the 1960s and raised their family in Beersheba, Israel.
My brother and I were born in Jerusalem and “temporarily” moved to Denver in 2004, where we ultimately stayed.
My entire life, I lived with “what ifs.”
What if we went back to Israel like we were supposed to?
What if I went to the army and not gone to college?
What if we visited more often?
It was only through my artistic exploration of my heritage that I came to this conclusion:
If I should have, I would have.
It wasn’t supposed to be any other way.
I was afforded a life I never could have had if I had stayed in Israel.
I have had so many opportunities and am a part of so many communities I never would have been able to reach otherwise.
The duality of my life has not been easy, but it has been rich, special and beautiful.
I carry the Ashkenazi-American experience and the Mizrahi-Israeli experience.
I carry stories of survival, migration and assimilation.
It is so, so important to me that I honor all parts of my heritage.
Have your Jewish or Israeli identities informed your artistic expression?
I’ve always believed that art is central to one’s identity. Anyone who knows me knows that my Jewish and Israeli identity is who I am in my heart and at my core. I wear and embrace it with honor.
I have always drawn from the personal and lived experiences of my heritage in the creation of my art, especially in high school as I began navigating the nuances of my dual identity.
Even now, when I’m not doing as much fine art, the other artistic mediums I work in are pretty much solely utilized for work related to Judaism and Israel.
How is AI perceived in the arts community? A threat? An opportunity?
For now it is more of a looming threat than an actualized one. In fact, I would say it has been used as a tool for artists.
I do believe (or hope) that ultimately, people value what is real about art, and in my opinion, that lies in the hands of the artist.
What is meaningful to you about being Jewish?
Community. Not just in the sense of belonging to a physical Jewish community, but the fact that no matter where you are in the world, if you run into another Jew, there is a feeling of homecoming.
We are a part of a nation that has overcome the impossible.
We are small but we are mighty.
We are miraculous.
How did Oct. 7 impact your Jewish identity?
It made me a billion times prouder and more grateful to be Jewish. How lucky am I, out of all 8.2 billion people in the world, to be a part of the most magical nation of 15 million?
Who has been an inspiring figure in your life?
My Imma (mom), Felicia Manor. She is so brilliant, hard-working, patient, intellectual, resilient and so much more.
She has loved and believed in me and my siblings, Yoni and Ella, with every fiber of her being. I hope to be half the mother she is one day.
What book are you currently reading?
What They Didn’t Teach You in Art School, by Annabel Tilley and Rosalind Davis
What TV series are you watching?
“Nobody Wants This.”
What do you do in your free time?
Some kind of craft. I work on the computer so much that it’s imperative to me to work with my hands as much as I can. I love to make text designs with my cool markers or sew and repurpose old clothes.
Guilty pleasure?
Staying up late.
If you weren’t working as an artist, what job would you do?
When I was younger I thought about going into medicine. Anatomy is fascinating to me and was a part of my concentration portfolio in my art class.
I also entertained government, policy and diplomacy work when I was in college in DC (naturally). Then I had a congressional internship and decided to take the communication and media route to politics instead of policy. It was the best decision!
Honestly, I couldn’t ever see myself doing any other kind of work. I am an artist through and through. Art is everything and everything is art. I see the world in shapes and colors. Visual communication is at the core of everything.
Favorite spot in Colorado?
I love Denver’s RiNo district and any kind of hot springs!
© IJN 2024