Mezuzah Haiku

Touched by our fingertips

Mezuzah offers us peace

For our homes and hearts

Lev Shneiderman is a Russian born Israeli craftsman.

Loveliness...

From the hands of polymer clay artist Tami Shvat is this matching pair: A Hamsa and Mezuzah with cherry blossoms.



I am so inspired by these, I may do my bedroom in these colors...

By jove, I think he has got it!

So sad that it has taken nearly 8 years for Bush to say something I beleive in!
Bush: Israel has right to protect itself against Gaza attacks
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush said Monday that he understands Israel's desire to protect itself, offering his first public comments about the U.S. ally's massive ground invasion into Gaza. Israel has moved tanks and troops into Gaza to target Hamas militants firing rockets at its southern communities. From the White House, Bush said Monday that Israel has the right to defend itself against rocket attacks by Gaza rulers Hamas. The president said he is still hopeful there will be a cease-fire, calling it "a noble ambition." But, he said, no peace deal will work unless it forces Hamas to stop its attacks.
Meamwhile, the White House said Monday that the United States wants a cease-fire as soon as possible but insists that it be durable. White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, while backing Israel's Gaza offensive as the state's right to defend itself, urged it to be "very cautious when it comes to civilian casualties." "We want it to be kept to a minimum," she told reporters. Asked how quickly the United States wants to see a cease-fire in place, she said, "We would like it as soon as possible but it has to be something that is durable."

The rustic mezuzah above is from Zagit Gale.

A mezuzah from a surfin' Jew

Curt is a self-taught graphic designer, painter and conceptual artist. Artistic influences come from his weeks of backpacking through remote Indochina, the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century and the natural world. When not creating art, you will find Curt on the east coast of his home in central Florida surfing and golfing. Each and every piece is handcrafted with 100% lead-free pewter under the strictest of standards, some pieces fused meticulously with COE 90 dichroic glass work, Austrian Crystals and found objects.

Almost Artifacts.

I found a new Polymer Clay Artist!!!! I love how old they feel despite being made with a modern material. Serious bravo!!!

This Mother-in-Law is no joke!!!

Silvia Schmelzer is the mother-in-law of yesterday's featured artist Jennifer Fairman. She, too, asnswered some questions for me.

Where are you located? I live in Skokie, Illinois a suburb north of Chicago.


When did you start your art? I was a ceramist about 30 years ago and now a metalsmith for the last 10 years , a full time job after retiring form the Corporate world as an administrator for a medical facility in Chicago.






Why Judaica? Why not? As a Jew and artist, the best art is the the one identifying us with our own people and traditions.


How do you observe? We are modern orthodox, respecting the laws of shabbat. My life as an artist encompass all aspects of Jewish life as well as an artist in general. Thus my regular " one of a kind" jewelry line.



What makes art Jewish? Art is the best expression of the mind. What makes it Jewish is the use of the symbols representative of the Jewish Religion and presenting them in an harmonious and attractive way without distorting their initial meaning.

Jewish Olympians 2008

Are you like me? You cheer for your countrymen and countrywomen at the Olympics, but you cannot help but also cheer for the M.O.T. , no matter what country he or she is competing for? Well to make your life easier here is a list of M.O.T.s who are going to be at the games and their respective countries and events.

GO Team USA.

GO TEAM JEW!

This baseball mezuzah is from Quest... and click the pic below to read about the mezuzah at the Olympic village.

United States

Fencing, Women Sada Jacobson, sabre
Kayaking Rami Zur, 500-meter individual
Swimming, Men Jason Lezak, 100-meter freestyle, relays

Garrett Weber-Gale, 100 freestyle, relays
Ben Wildman-Tobriner, 50 freestyle, relays
Swimming, Women Dara Torres, 50-meter freestyle, relays
Track and Field, Women Deena Kastor, marathon

Israel

Artistic Gymnastics, Men Alex Shatilov, all-around
Canoeing, Men Michael Koganov, K-1 500 and 1000 meters
Fencing, Men Tomer Or, foil
Fencing, Women Dalilah Hatuel, foil Noam Mills, epee
Judo, Men Ariel Ze’evi, 100 kg Gal Yekutiel, 60 kg
Judo, Women Alice Schlezinger, 63 kg
Rhythmic Gymnastics, Individual Ira Risenzon, Neta Rivkin
Rhythmic Gymnastics, Team Kayta Pizatzki, Racheli Vidgorcheck, Maria Savnakov, Alona Dvorinchenko, Veronica Witberg
Sailing, Men Gidi Klinger and Udi Gal, 470 Shahar Tzuberi, windsurfing
Sailing, Women Vered Buskila and Nika Kornitzky, 470

Nufar Eledman, laser radial

Ma’ayan Davidovich, windsurfing
Shooting Doron Egozi, 50-meter rifle 3, 10-meter air rifle

Gil Simkovich, 50-meter rifle 3, 50-meter rifle prone

Guy Starik, 50-meter rifle prone
Swimming, Men Itay Chama, 200-meter breaststroke

Gal Nevo, 200 and 400 individual medley

Guy Barnea, 100 breaststroke

Tom Be’eri, 100 and 200 breaststroke

Allon Mandel, 100 and 200 butterfly

Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or, 200 freestyle
Swimming, Women Anya Gostamelsky, 50 and 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly
Synchronized Swimming Anastasia Gloushkov and Ina Yoffe, duet
Taekwondo Bat-El Getterer, 57 kg
Tennis, Men Andy Ram and Yoni Erlich, doubles
Tennis, Women Shahar Peer, singles Tzipora Obziler, doubles with Peer
Track and Field, Men Alex Averbukh, pole vault

Niki Palli, long jump

Haile Satayin, marathon

Itai Magidi, 3000-meter steeplechase

Argentina

Hockey, Women Gisele Kanevsky
Judo, Women Daniela Krakower
Swimming, Men Damian Blaum
Table Tennis Pablo Tabachnik
Weightlifting, Women Nora Koppel
Table Tennis David Zalcberg

Austria

SwimmingBaseball Adam Stern
Wrestling David Zilberman, 96 kg Ari Taub, 120

Tennis, Men Nicolas Massu

Great Britain

Rowing Josh West

Hard to beat this Mezuzah

The mezuzah is made out of two pieces. The durable concrete cast slides over the metal parchment (klaf) holder which is mounted onto the door frame. The ש (Shin) letter is recessed from the surface of the concrete. The mirror finish of the nickel plated pewter stands as contrast to the warm textural quality of the concrete. This contemporary design places a concrete object back into its original architectural context.

Marit Meisler was born and raised in the Old City of Jaffa, Israel. She is a Product Design graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem and The London Institute Central Saint Martins.

She lives and works in New York. Her work has been exhibited in the renowned Salone Internazionale Del Mobile in Milan and in the Felissimo Design House in Manhattan, among other places.

Marit founded ceMMent Design LLC in 2006 and is now designing and manufacturing a line of cement and stainless steel products. Prior to this she was freelancing as a product designer in NYC, specializing in table-top products, furniture and lighting design. She is teaching at the Pratt Institute in New York in the Industrial Design department.

Wild Mezuzah!

Ed Cohen created this wooden mezuzah case. It would be perfect in someone's animal print motif room, nu?

Soon after graduating from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1986, Edward moved to California to pursue a career as a graphic designer & art director. While on the West Coast his interest in wood working flourished, and he soon found himself building tools, boxes and other projects. When Edward moved back to the East Coast, he began to seek out his Jewish roots. His woodworking skills were useful to build mezuzot cases for family and friends. Some of his earliest pieces can be seen in Belle Rosenbaum’s book "Upon thy Doorpost."

Edward uses a variety of woods in his work: Ash, Bloodwood, Bocote, Bubinga, Cherry, Cocobola, Ebony, Holly, Koa, Mahogany, Maple, Oak, Padauk, Purpleheart, Rosewood, Teak, Tulip, Walnut, Wenge, and Zebrawood

Strong work

Jay Strongwater works in metal, crystal and enamel... and sells his work at Neiman Marcus. I love the bling!

There is no bling in Pesach preparations. I just finished straining my soup... lots of soup! My kitchen was a greasy mess by the time I finished. I grew up with Matzoh ball soup being a clear soup, perhaps with a few carrots floating in it, so getting all the STUFF (chicken, veggies, etc) out of it takes time. My dog was very happy to receive the beef bones and she continues to contentedly chew on one. I ground my maror yesterday. Anyone have any recipes they want to share?

A meaningful accident

I am frequently asked by artists "How did you find my website?" More often than not I have to confess "I do not know." Essentially I can start with a couple of search terms and a couple of "enter" clicks later I have struck gold! Those are the artists I share with you.
On occasion, one of my blogging friends or another artist will also send me a tip, asking have I seen this artist or that one. More often than not, I have seen the artist they are recommending but it is wonderful that they think of me and this blog.
My closest friend in the Blogosphere is Susan of Polymer Clay Notes. Were it not for Susan's gentle nudges, I likely would have never initiated JudaicaJournal. Susan hosts a secular blog dedicated to polymer clay and I love sending her my discoveries which are more appropriate for her blog than mine. Today, Susan and I are sharing the exposure of an Israeli polymer clay artist who was one of my accidental discoveries. Rivkah Strahi Levitz is first an interior designer. As part of her decorating she creates pieces to fufill her vision for a client's home- whether that be the mezuzah that adorn the door frame or the jar to hold honey on the breakfast table. Among her many works are some three dimensional pictures; it is these that I found most awe inspiring. So please take a gander at these at the chamsa and mezuzah and then take a cyber-walk over to Susan's site to see which of Rivkah's goodies she has chosen to share.

Lion Mezuzah- GRRRReat!

Is this not an adorable Mezuzah? It is from the flickr contributor Squashie... it would be perfect for a child's Noah's ark themed room. Squashie was inspired by a very prolific polymer clay teacher and artist Christie Friesen.

A SECOND CHANCE

In this week's Torah portion we have a very interesting predicament. On the first anniversary of their liberation from Egyptian slavery, the Israelites are bidden to once again celebrate the Passover Seder to commemorate the freedom that they had attained. The main ritual consisted of slaughtering the Paschal sacrifice on the eve of Pesach, and eating it that night with matzah and marror (bitter herbs). The sacrifice had to be slaughtered and eaten in a state of ritual purity.

Some individuals came to Moshe (Moses) to complain that they had been fulfilling the commandment of caring for the deceased, either by carrying the coffin of Yosef (Joseph) for eventual burial in the Holy Land or by attending to the burial of an unidentified corpse (mayt mitzvah). They asked why they should be deprived of performing the commandment (mitzvah) of the Pesach sacrifice because they had been engaged in a different mitzvah which rendered them ritually defiled.

Upon inquiry to the Almighty, God tells Moshe that these individuals should indeed have the opportunity to celebrate the joy of their Pesach deliverance through the performance of the Passover Seder one month later. (Indeed, in remembrance of this fact, one month after the beginning of Passover, on the 14th day of Iyar, we commemorate Pesach Shayni, the Second Passover, by customarily eating matzah and refraining from reciting the penitential prayer in the service.)

What is significant is that these individuals were given a second chance. All too often, either because of some ritual defilement or because of our own laziness or lack of interest or even lack of knowledge, we miss the opportunity to perform a good deed or to say the right word or to offer any compliment that could enhance interpersonal relationships. Our tradition teaches us to never give up hope. If at first we do not succeed, try again! If we cannot make the first Passover, there is a second opportunity. Our faith is a positive one. Inherent in our religion is the opportunity for reconciliation and repentance and righting a wrong, or correcting a mistake, or overcoming a neglect.

Another group of people who were allowed to bring the second Passover offering were those who were too far away from the Sanctuary at the time of the proper Pesach observance. It is never too late to catch up and to try to bring ourselves nearer to the Almighty and to our fellow human beings, even if the journey seems to be a long one or if we have been detached and distant from our religion. If we but set out on the right path, we will get to the proper destination, but it must be done with a sense of faith, love and compassion. "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."

With a belief in God, we can overcome adversity and go on to succeed, even if there seems to be a momentary stumbling block in our way, or if we had been on a different path. We know that God is here to help us find our way, but we have to ponder our steps carefully, and it may take time! Otherwise, we will be like the little girl who was dressed in her Shabbat best, and running as fast as she could to the synagogue so as not to be late for Junior Congregation. As she ran she prayed, "Dear God, please don't let me be late! Dear God, please don't let me be late!" As she was running and praying, she tripped on a curb and fell, getting her clothes dirty and tearing her dress. She got up, brushed herself off, and started running once more. As she ran, she again began to pray, "Dear God, please don't let me be late...but don't shove me either!"

If not a shove, our tradition sometimes gives us a "nudge" to move in the right direction. We will eventually get there, as long as we stay on course and find fulfillment and strength in the teachings of our faith! Rabbi Doniel Kramer

I fell in love with this mezuzah this week. It is from Ruth Tarragano of Israel- mother and polymer clay artist.

Shabbat Shalom Umevorach -- a peaceful and blessed Sabbath.

Va-Yakhel

On Matters of the Heart

By Michelle Young

In this week's Torah portion, Vayakhel, Moses assembles the entire Israelite community and tells them what God has commanded. He instructs the people to "take gifts" to God to help create the sacred Mishkan--the Tabernacle. (Exodus 35:4-9) As a result, "Men and women, all whose hearts moved them, all who would make an elevation offering of gold to Adonai, came bringing brooches, earrings, rings, and pendants--gold objects of all kinds." (Exodus 35:22)

The Torah in this instance states that the motivation for the Israelites' actions came from their hearts. Visualizing the many people who, "moved by their hearts," brought their valuables to support the greater needs of the community evokes a striking image. It makes us wonder how were they able to respond so quickly and collectively. What made their hearts quicken?

Our tradition states: "Do not stand too long, for standing too long is harmful to the heart." (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Baba Batra 16b) A heart that is not used, one that is not active and thus becomes insensitive to the needs and pressures of the outside community, deteriorates and can no longer contribute to the health of the entire body.
What, on the other hand, does having a heart that is moved--or, as various translations indicate, having a heart that is "lifted" or a "willing heart"--mean? Our tradition teaches us about many different aspects of the heart: We read of Pharaoh's heart that was "hardened" toward the Jewish people. We sing the lyrics "So long as still within the innermost heart a Jewish spirit sings… our hope is not lost" in Hatikvah [the national anthem of the State of Israel]. During t'filah (prayer) we pray to love God with all of our heart and with all of our soul.

It is a Yiddish saying, however, that I believe encapsulates the meaning of the heartfelt actions described in Parashat Vayakhel: Di klainer hartz nemt arum di groisseh velt, "The heart is small and embraces the whole wide world."

The heart is indeed small--just the size of a fist--but it helps us cope with the many challenges that we face in our communities. Like this hand tucked inside each of us, the heart has the power to strike like a fist or to gather and embrace like an open hand. It is up to each of us to learn how to move our heart to embrace the world

I love the quote from above During t'filah (prayer) we pray to love God with all of our heart and with all of our soul. It makes me think of mezuzot- again. I guess anything makes me think of mezuzot since I have so many beautiful ones cataloged in my del.icio.us account. These mezuzot I show here today are by the artist
Ira Sherman; he and his wife are Judaica creators although they work in different media. Ira Sherman is an artist of rare versatility and a master of metalsmithing. In all his varied artistic fields of jewelry design, sculpture, architectural metal work and Judaica, there emerges a passion and unique aesthetic that is recognizable in everything he creates. The single mezuzah with the surrounding orb was one of the winners of the 2002 Spertus Prize for Judaica. Enjoy looking

Marriage Mezuzah

It may be gloomy February, but there are many a betrothed couple who are planning their nuptials. That invitation can't be too far away. Perhaps it is time to start gift shopping???
How about a mezuzah for the broken glass? According to the Guide to the Jewish Wedding from Aish.com
A glass is now placed on the floor, and the chatan shatters it with his foot. This act serves as an expression of sadness at the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and identifies the couple with the spiritual and national destiny of the Jewish people. A Jew, even at the moment of greatest rejoicing, is always mindful of the Psalmist's injunction to set Jerusalem above my highest joy.

Others explain that this is the last time the groom gets to put his foot down.

(In Israel, the glass is broken earlier, prior to the reading of the Ketubah.)

This marks the conclusion of the ceremony. With shouts of Mazel Tov, the chatan (groom) and kallah (bride) are then given an enthusiastic reception from the guests as they leave the chupah together and head toward the Yichud room, their temporary private chamber

I have to confess that my broken glass is sitting at home in a box with other wedding parephinalia. One of these days I will do something like this:





From left to right are mezuzot from Sara Beames, Faye Miller Shardz and Arthur and Wendy Silver.

What a beautiful way to remember such a special day!

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!