Thank YOU for making me a woman...

Lucy Rose Fischer participated in a wonderful conference called Practicing Jews: Art, Identity and Culture sponsored by the University of Wisconsin. Of her piece which is the inspiration for today's post she says, Orthodox men say a blessing that praises G-d “for not making me a woman.” I have transposed this traditional blessing—by thanking G-d for making me a woman. My three vessels are a celebration of life. I have interwoven contemporary images of women dancing with the Torah and scenes of my mother at different stages of her life.


By the way, I am glad I am a woman... but equally glad I don't have to deal with this problem:
One of the little controversies getting a lot of press in Israel lately is segregated bus lines. No, they don’t make the Ethiopians sit separately. Increasingly, Egged bus lines which serve a number of predominately Haredi neighborhoods are allowing the passengers to separate the sexes by having men sit in the front and women sit in the back. These buses are designated “kosher”, but religious authorities declined to answer how exactly they are cooked.

While there is no Halacha to the best of my knowledge that says women can’t sit next to, opposite, or in front of men on a bus, Egged, Israel’s public bus line has nonetheless acquiesced to the vocal (and male) members of the communities.

You may have heard about the now infamous case of Miriam Shear, a 50 year old religious American immigrant to Israel, who was brutally beaten on November 24 for refusing to move to the back of the bus, on a line that was not even officially designated as “mehadrin.” Read the account in her own words here.

Other women have reported being threatened, harassed and intimidated for exercising their right to sit where they want. They are public buses, after all.

Well, say the women, enough is enough. According to YNet, a group of women, “among them haredi author Naomi Ragen, will file a petition with Israel’s High Court, claiming that such segregation is illegal and humiliating. “We’re sick of sitting in the back of haredi buses. We prefer to sit up front,” they wrote.”

While I respect the Haredi population’s right to live by the motto of the Offspring song “you’ve gotta keep em separated” the execution of these bus lines was poorly, poorly done. Public buses should not be used. You want “kosher” bus lines, start your own private company which caters to your population. Additionally, the buses were poorly identified, (women report not always knowing if they were getting on to a segregated bus or not) and enforcement of this so called rule was at the hands fellow bus passengers.

I’m really hoping the petition effects real change, and hoping, perhaps in vain, that all the negative publicity Haredim have been under will wake a few rabbis and leaders up to the need for emphasizing proper behavior towards women (from Jewlicious).

Polymer Clay Art blooms in Israel

For those of you who regularly read my blog, you know that I have a strong affinity to all things Polymer Clay. I was tickled to find that the art world specifically, The Israeli Museum of Creative Arts also recognizes this medium and is sponsoring an exhibit of some of the Holy Land's finest PCers. One more reason to hop on a plane... I am unsure of the artists' names of these particular works... perhaps one of my Israeli readers can help! And as I prayed... the answers are in the comments from my dear Naama Zamir.

Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameach!

Sh'lach

At God’s command Moses, sends twelve spies – one from each tribe – to scout the land of Canaan and to report back on the land’s inhabitants, fortifications and agricultural attributes. They return after forty days with evidence of the land’s bounty and fertility, and accounts of the might of its population and well-defended cities.
Ten of the spies were pessimistic about the prospects of a successful Israelite conquest, but Caleb’s and Joshua’s assessment was optimistic and they urged swift military action. The people sided with the majority, and in a panic expressed their desire to return to Egypt under new leadership.

God’s fury with the Israelites is aroused for their lack of faith in themselves and in divine assistance with the conquest. Moses intercedes on the people’s behalf averting total annihilation, but God instructs Moses to alter course: the Israelites will wander for forty years – one year for each day of the spies’ mission – until the present generation dies out. Only Caleb and Joshua are to be spared this fate; they alone among their contemporaries are to witness the conquest of the land. The ten spies, whose pessimism fueled this latest rebellion, are killed by a plague.
The people now repent and attempt to begin the conquest without divine sanction and despite Moses’ warning. Their effort leads to disaster and they are routed by the Amalekites and Canaanites. As a sign of God’s ultimate fulfillment of the promise to give the land of Canaan to the Israelites, the very next passage begins with the phrase “When you come into the Land.” This passage contains a variety of laws, most notably challah – the setting apart of a portion of dough for the priest.
The sidra concludes with the imposition of the death penalty by stoning for anyone violating the Sabbath, and the laws of tzitzit.
From Zipporah's Thimble these lovely tzitzit... hand tied with love.
You want to make your own tzitzit?... here is how to do it.

Moooo-re Mezuzahs

I love when art can be humorous... I love it when we can laugh at ourselves. Obviously the Israeli artist Sagit Bramly Levi a 30-ish year-old architect and artist from Karmiel knows how to giggle. From her little cow and sheep mezuzot to her cheerful flowers and retro designs.Sagit's work in polymer clay is characterized by strong colors and a combination of a variety of techniques and textures that create a unique, fresh and daring look. The main technique used by Sagit is called 'Millefiori' (a thousand flowers), an old technique taken from the glass art world. All products are handmade and carefully planned from the very beginning of designing the Millefiori cane up to the finishing touches.

Look at these two additional mezuzot from Sagit... One is perfect for the individual who is a Florida Gator Fan... and who would not be after their tremendous win last month against Ohio State... but I digress.

And this brown striped mezuzah is masculine yet retro... great for your friend who is just so Metro.








And if you are still looking to put a smile on your face... and on your mezuzah-free kitchen door... take a look here. And remember- we answer to a Higher Authority!

Wishful thinking

Lo the winter is past
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth
The time of the singing of birds is come
Song of Solomon 2:10-11

Were it not for a completely unnatural substance, this blog likely would not have been born. Not quite a year ago, I developed an itch- I wanted to make Judaica. I searched for a medium and was unsatisfied. That is until I discovered POLYMER CLAY. Some would call it a child's toy but in the work of an artist the possiblilities are endless.

Today, I will give you a taste of this medium, hopefully you will want more and more (like me).

Eti Raz makes these wonderful hamsot. Don't you feel like she peered out her window and saw this field of sunflowers before she made the hamsa on the right?






















It appears that irises were growing outside Roni Gur's window.