In an interview with Felice Friedson of The Media Line, Hines recalls how her mother told her son, Trevor, that the family’s maternal line was Jewish. His response was immediate: “So that’s when our son said, well, that makes you Jewish, Mom.” For Hines, the discovery was more than a genealogical surprise. She was determined not to let the antisemitism that had shaped her family’s past dictate her future.
Her transformation can now be seen in Jerusalem in My Soul, an exhibition at the Moshe Castel Museum of Jewish Israeli Art in Ma’ale Adumim. Paintings once inspired by memories and beauty increasingly took their cues from Torah study, Jewish history, and Jerusalem. Some images came to her on Shabbat, when she could not sketch them and had to remember them until afterward.
The work is hardly confined to solemn religious imagery. In one series, the biblical Joseph takes selfies with his brothers and wears a coat marked “Me Too.” Hines uses his story to explore forgiveness without surrendering self-respect. Another series turns a circle into a countdown clock, a Ferrari wheel, and finally a rainbow.
Her move toward Israel deepened that connection. Married to Rabbi Natan Ophir and building a home in the country, Hines spent much of the war there. Even the sirens and shelter runs, she says, strengthened her sense of belonging.
The complete article and video interview explore her views on shared values across religions and art as an answer to misconceptions about Israel. Hines is also contemplating holograms and films, including a documentary about non-Jews who publicly support Israel.
In speaking with Friedson, she returns repeatedly to the idea of giving through her talent. The paintings may change form, but her mission remains personal: “I’m not a person of words, so the art is my vehicle for giving my message.”
