Since the beginning of my life– long before I turned to metal art for expression, I knew that we were lucky to be alive. And, I felt tasked with carrying on Jewish traditions in the face of anti-semitism. Growing up Jewish in Los Angeles, every year at our annual Passover seder, our Holocaust Surviving grandmother and grandfather would raise a…
In 2020 I was hard at work on Art for Prayer and Peace: A Bridge to Oneness. I’ve attached three different ways I shared and performed my mission. There are more examples, if you sift through my blog– you’ll see. Bridging the Religious Divide Through Art Sharing the Torah at the San Francisco Waldorf High School All About Mezuzahs and…
The upcoming holiday of Tu B’Shevat celebrates the end of winter, the coming of spring and most importantly, it celebrates trees. It is customary to plant trees and eat food which comes from trees during this holiday. The ‘Tree of Life’ is a metaphor often used in Judaism to describe our most sacred book– the Torah. The tree is used…
UPDATE: Thanks everyone who participated in the sale/fundraiser. We raised almost $450.00 for Hadassah today!!! __________________________________________________ In my own life, I have never known times as troubling as these. One of the best ways I cope is by giving to causes I believe in. Hadassah is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the world. They have created Hadassah Hospital, which…
I became an artist because of the deep injustices in the systems of the world towards those who are deemed “other..” In fact my first mezuzot were a testament to the suffering of my grandparents during the Holocaust. Before the incident with George Floyd, but in the recent rise of racist and anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. my father and…
Thanks to the J. Jewish News Weekly for this recent article on new pieces– the Priestly Blessing Bracelets and how they’ve helped me to connect to the Orthodox community to help bridge the religious divide. Click here to read the article. If you are interested in reading about the background story and the inspiration for the Priestly Blessing Bracelets, check…
The 10th grade at the San Francisco Waldorf High School has an amazing 3-4 week course on Tanakh during the year long “Explorations in Early Literature” track course. In the track course, they learn the Ramayana, Egyptian Book of the Dead, Gilgamesh, Mesopotamia, the New Testament and more. For Tanakh, students read passages, do pictorial representations of scenes, learn…
The Mezuzah– most Jewish people have only considered this tradition for people within the Jewish faith. Some only affix them to their doorposts because it is a commandment. I believe a new interpretation is now appropriate for this amazing spiritual item. If we widen our scope, and invite spiritual friends to join us in understanding and using this…
The Meaning of Sha-dai: Protector of the Body/Connector to the Heart In my journey as a Jewish artist-turned-teacher, I have met thousands of people of all walks of life. Through my artwork, I share Judaism with humanity. In this 26-year process, I have meditated and thought about Sha-dai–a particular name of G-d–because my artistic inspiration and output have been constantly…
Spiritual People of the World: whether you are Jewish or not, adopt these teachings from Judaism into your lives and the world will heal. Bear in mind that you can use these teachings, you DO NOT have to denounce your own religion or convert to benefit from these. You may use Judaism as a MODEL– take the teaching and…
Good News! A revered leader in the Orthodox Jewish Community, Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh, agrees with my approach of sharing Judaism with humanity. “According to Rabbi Ginsburgh, the world is now ready for the fourth revolution, which will be to more fully introduce Torah study for non-Jews.” This will add credibility and integrity to my work over the last 20+ years, and…
A New Direction: Chabad, The Seven Laws of Noah and Sharing Judaism with Non-Jews I began conversations with Orthodox Rabbi and director of Congregation Chevra Thilim, Shlomo Zarchi and his wife Chani, and Chabad Director in Berkeley, Rabbi Yehuda Ferris and his wife Miriam about sharing Jewish teachings with non-Jews. I am committed to following the path of this…