Mee'tal is my adopted pseudonym, its meaning "arising from the morning dew" is an appropriate name for a child of Holocoast Survivors, for each survivor arose from the ashes of the camps and ghettos into a new and promising tomorrow.I was born in Israel and at age 12 moved to the United States with my parents who were looking to move away from the wars. I lived in New York where I continued my passion for art. Studying at Cooper Union School of art and then receiving a degree from FIT, Fashion Institute of Technology. After meeting my husband, we moved to Texas where we raised two wonderful children and helped my husband with his medical practice. In 1996 I left the medical field and returned to my passion- Art. My first goal was to complete the Holocaust Series. This series of paintings have been a calling that I always felt I had. Telling my parent's stories created an ever present responsibility in my life. For years I struggled to find someone who would write their stories in book form before I realized that it would be up to me to get this done. As an artist I also realized that my form of education and documentation would be on canvas. With that in mind I set out to paint three paintings, one for my mother, one for my father and one to show the out come of their struggles. Two years later I emerged with ten paintings. Some of the paintings were not planned at all I often felt as though I was just a tool in producing these paintings. There were other forces in control of my paint brush. It has been an incredible experience, one that has been very gratifying and comforting. It's as though I have fulfilled a mission. The Holocaust series is now a part of the " Color of Memory " exhibition which is sponsored by the Dallas Holocaust Museum. Together with artist Veronique Jonas, we have created this traveling show to help educate younger generations of what hatred is capable of.
Today my work has evolved into a spiritual expression which has come from years of studying Kabbalah, the world’s oldest body of spiritual wisdom. It has been a wondrous journey one that continues to inspire and uplift me, and I pray that evil will NEVER triumph again. Julie Meetal Berman