Tikkun Olam: To Repair the World explores theoverwhelming contribution of Jewish artists to the creation of Modernism andsubsequently to Post-modern practices in to the 21st century. The paper ispredicated on the theory that Jewish artists, either secular or otherwise,entering post-war arts culture at mid-century, brought with them a deeplyembodied commitment to tikkun olam. Tikkun olam is an aspect of Tzedakah,derived from the Hebrew root Tzade-Dalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice orfairness. Engaging in acts of tikkun olam is a primary means of satisfying theneed to create a sense of Jewish community and identity, however, this paperposits that for post-war Jews, engaging in acts of tikkun olam, was a way ofrepairing the world at large, healing the gaping wounds of WWII, and instantiatingrighteousness through art practice. Even while practicing assimilation,European émigré Jewish artists and their American born peers performed aparticular kind of art making practice that engaged their Jewishness, albeitoften surreptitiously, toward a more egalitarian, democratic ideology thatreified the value of the individual in society as well as the healing power ofart.