Thou shall not steal

Sometimes a bit of good news is all we need to brighten up a grey sky. I was perusing the Jerusalem Post this morning where I read about a documentary which follows a Torah from the United States back to its home in Poland. I have found it sad that there is an active underground in stolen Torahs so that this Torah's journey home is heartening.

That brings me to today's Judaic art... the Torah and its dressings. I was surprised to learn that the Torah's ritual garb is actually fashioned after the high priests' adornaments. For the next few days I want to feature the mantles, the cloth pieces which surround and protect the Torah.

Suzy Friedman of Pickwick Arts works in multiple media including fabric. She has supplied synagogues in her hometown of Indianapolis with beautiful mantles. She uses common symbols- Sabbath canldles, a Jerusalem skyline, and a menorah. Her designs are simple, making the Torah an approachable object rather than one which should only be seen from afar. Suzy has fashioned Torah Mantles which encourage the observer to hold fast to it.
Steal a minute from your day... and look at Suzy's website