999 Silver Plated Bronze

1950’s Mabarah

4.5” x 4.5” x 6.5”
This is a portrait of my family in Israel's Mabaarah. The year is 1950. It is summer and my father is peeling an orange while I am imprisoned within a chair that has been turned upside down in order to feed me. My mom was taking care of the mattress within the tent to prepare for the night.

999 Fine Silver Plated Bronze

The Milkman
5.5” x 3.5” x 5”
During the 1950's in the Mabaraah neighborhood, the "Milk Man" walks from door to door, and the kids holding buckets run to him to purchase some milk as their parents asked them to bring various amounts of milk back home.

999 Silver Plated Bronze

Alte Zachen
3.5” x 3.5” x 6”
The legendary “Shmates” dealer who went from door to door in the neighborhood, yelling his title “Alte Zachen”. People were inviting him to see the old items they had in their home. In the 50‘s up to the 70’s where the Alte Zachen guys upgraded themselves with a VW at bed pick up instead of horses and wagons.

Ashrey
8.5” x 3.5” x 5”
This is a portion of a longer prayer, which is meant to send a pure message to mighty God in recognizing and glorifying his ability to help, feed, and full everyone’s necessity on earth, on a daily basis by the person who practiced this prayer. We connect to the letters of Pei, Alef and Yud. By opening our hands we are acknowledging that we are not in control; any sustenance that comes to us is not by our doing. We are recognizing that everything originates from the light. The hands and positioning the palms which is Poteyeh Et Yadeha Humasbaeh Leho Hi Ratson. Skyward tunes us to the spiritual frequency that is livelihood.

City of Jerusalem
4.5” x 3”

Dan-Ben-Amotze-Tzedaka-Box
4”x 6” x 2.25”
The Tzedaka box issue of the Jewish heritage was a very intimate tool to collect donations on a daily basis. We would see them in many places such as, people's houses, as well as synagogues, in grocery stores or any other place you could think of. These "Tzedaka" boxes were placed in such
places that would catch people's attention, and often times were very
large pieces. "Tzedaka Tatzil Mimavet" means, "Who repeatedly makes a
donation will save the death from himself."

Eshet Chail
The poem Eshet Chail, which is a song we sing at the diner table on Friday night in front of the family. The song is about a special, caring and amazing woman. Her value is amazingly richer than any jewel to her husband. Her husband’s trust in her is very high. Eshet chail was very involved in many social activities from helping the poor to taking care of the sick. She was like a businesswoman. She was in worldwide businesses while never putting aside any of her duties to
her family. She was astonishing at what she performed.

Jerusalem Kotel Plate
A front view of the Kotel area in a 5.5" diameter plate.

Joseph's Magic Cup
The Torah tells of the story of Joseph, a professional dreamer and dream solver. Once Joseph had risen to the position of viceroy over Egypt, a series of events led him to plant a silver wine goblet in the sack of his youngest brother Benjamin – an act that led to the reunification of his family. The wine goblet depicts the dreams of the baker, cup bearer, and Pharaoh, along with Joseph himself within beautiful Star of David. The
cover of the closed goblet shows four panoramic windows revealing Jerusalem as shared between different religions.

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Kapparot
6.25” x 4.5” x 4.5”
A tradition of the Jewish heritage before Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur. The father blesses his family members by turning a rooster over their heads so that the rooster would absorb any kind of harm that could happen to his family in the year to come.

Kever Rachel
4.5” x 3.5” x 4”
Rachel's Tomb has been a religious target for the Jews who come to visit Jerusalem. Rachel's tomb is well known in the minds of young women who want to become pregnant. The metaphors create a connection between Rachel's past which she experienced a difficulty of conceiving. Her Tomb became a target for women who share her difficulties in the way it is exposed in the Holy Script. This piece shows a group of triplets who were brought there to share the happiness
and sorrow of their mother with Rachel.

1950's Mattress Specialist
6” x 5.5” x 7”
1950’s in the Maabarah life hood in the early state of Israel, a special trade came with the Yemeni Jews who made an aliyah or emigration from Yemen. These craftsman, were the only people who practiced and trained to refurbish old mattresses and blankets by releasing the cotton then filling new cotton to make the mattresses fluffy. This gentleman was a very strong and flexible man who spent 2 or 3 days in people’s homes or tents refurbishing the mattresses, pillows and blankets.

999 Fine Silver Plated Bronze

Moishe Shekar
5.5” x 3.5” x 3”
This is the most delicate Israeli liquor named "Moishe Shekar." The connection between the name and the liquor itself is quite random.

Moses Tablets
5.5” x 5”
Moses has been ordered by God to craft new tablets and take them up on Mount Sinai in order for God to tell him how tore-write the previous set of tablets. Moses is old and doesn’t have the physical power. He made Joshua carry the tablets as a backpack in order to reach the top of Mount Sinai. This piece has been created as a comical piece and the idea as you can see the text, which belongs to Moses and expresses the sorrow of breaking two original tablets. On the other hand, Joshua carried the tablets, and slaps his face to do what he was asked and what he is thinking at the time is on the tablet “Oy Vey” this is a Yiddish expression for recognizing coming troubles.

Miracles and Reality
Anything above the ability of common sense and knowledge could be considered by human beings, immediately as a miracle. Is a miracle something that the common sense cannot be able to digest? Or, is it explaining that it is what it is? Everyone, has his own definition for miracle. What is not a miracle? What is a miracle? Was the big bang a miracle? Was the creation of earth and heaven considered as a miracle? The Babylonian tower, is this a miracle maybe? Was the Exile from Egypt a miracle? The tearing apart of the Red Sea, could it be considered a miracle? Is the sunshine a miracle? Getting to the dark of the night, is this a miracle too? What could be not considered a miracle? I don’t know.

The power of God? The power of a Nation? The nature of human beings or an individual’s power, could this be considered a Miracle?

The most authentic kind of criticism either positive or negative is nothing but the visual projection of the personal biography. In the course of creating our own reality, not anything could be considered a miracle. There is no miracle….In reality.  Reality cannot hold the symptoms of a miracle. The only miracle that a man responds to and he is responsible for, is what he does as a part of a group, as a part in the community or as a part of a nation. Even God will love this, “men-ensan el-kharaka, umin allah el-barake” or “For human to be daring, from God the blessings”.

In this piece, the artist found motives which are well known in a Jewish tradition and heritage. In the holiday of Hanukah, kids play with dreidel, turning them and letting them fall to one of the four letters which are engraved on it. In the homeland of Israel, the dreidel maker puts the words “As, Nes-Gadole, Haia, Po” which means “a big miracle happened here” The same kind of artist outside of Israel puts the words “Nes, Gadole, Haia, Sham” which means “A big miracle happened there”. The holiday of Hanukah, represents the story and the miracle which is behind a little pit of oil found in a destroyed temple which looks like barely enough for one night, but the miracle was that it was enough for eight nights.

The Dreidel that the artist created does not have corners, this is another model of dreidel which the boys in Israel played with it by wrapping it with fine rope around the tip and throwing it onto the earth so that the dreidel gets the power to turn for quite a while. On this dreidel the artist states “Nes-Lo-Haia-Sham” which means “Miracle wasn’t there”. The connection between the palm of the hand and this particular model of dreidel plays in the role of association of the Jewish arm, which has the Nazi’s identification number which was tattooed on the Jewish people during the Holocaust. A miracle never happened there, they whipped the name under the glory of the sky and they became only numbers. They have been identified and called to order by yelling at them their number.

In this piece the artist is making the strong statement to accomplish what he was saying before about existence of miracles. The bottom of this arm is surrounded by flames which burnt millions of Jews. Also a fist has been raised through the flames and the disaster of the holocaust and pointing to that number which represents the Nazi’s way to humiliate human beings.

Back in Israel they call this kind of fist “etzba-meshuleshet” which is verbally translated as “triangle finger”. The artist is sending a strong message to that number which represents the Nazis which says: With the disaster, you put in our heads. With the crematoriums you built to burn us to ashes, we raised as a nation.

You have been defeated and we built what we call today the State of Israel. Yes, you were responsible of killing and destroying 20 million human beings, but you couldn’t destroy a United Nation. Your actions contain no miracle as I said before. If there is a miracle, that’s what raised from the ashes and flames of the crematoriums and it has it’s own name: Israel.”

To skeptics and puritans, if they want to consider that as a miracle, let them be my guest. The only miracle, which could exist after any event of disaster is what we call in one word: Unity.

Purim Shpil Noise Maker
In the holiday of “Purim” In the Synagogues at the time the cantors read “The Magilla Ester” and when the cantors read the word “Hayman” one of the pillar characters in the “Magilla” the audience “Boos” the name Hayman, and creates noise with any instrument that they can reach around themselves. The “Raashan” is a Hebrew name, this is the instrument you see in the picture. In order to operate this instrument there is a device in the horizontal part which makes the noise. You do not need the perfect imagination to imagine the total capacity of the amount of noise that these instruments could create. This noise and the “boo” that the people release with it is a metaphor to put down “Hayman” his character and his wishes to destroy the Jewish people at the time in the city of “Shushan” the capital of old Persia of ancient time. This piece represents the story of the “Purim” holiday. We are dealing with ten sounds of “Hayman” which has been hung on the Noose. He prepared to hang “Richous Mordekhy” On the top of the Metaphor tree “Noose” which “Hayman” had planned to hang “Mordakhy." And on the other side of the Raashan you can see the “Hayman” figure slapping himself on his forehead wondering how his luck had turned around. In the Jewish heritage we know a behavior when you turn a subject around some other subject the meaning is Sacrificing exactly like we sacrifice roosters before “Rash Hashana” above the head of a family member, and send the rooster to be slaughtered. This piece has been casted in Silicone bronze and plated silver. There is also a special stand that would be available in order to display this piece as you see on the screen.

Shema Israel Larger
6.25” x 2.25” x 3.5”
Basic six word prayer, which is the pillar of all the prayers in the Jewish environment. All throughout history the Jewish people who were executed in many ways, carry these six words on their mouths at the time they burn into ash or choke to death in the chambers, this powerful prayers presents the absolute uniqueness of God and the basic believers who insist, no matter what is happening to them, to declare Shema Israel. “Ado nay e lo heno ado nay yechad,” six mystical words which leave no room for doubt which could appear.

Shema Israel on Star of David Base
2.25” x 3” x 5.25”
Basic six word prayer, which is the pillar of all the prayers in the Jewish environment. All throughout history the Jewish people who were executed in many ways, carry these six words on their mouths at the time they burn into ash or choke to death in the chambers, this powerful prayers presents the absolute uniqueness of God and the basic believers who insist, no matter what is happening to them, to declare Shema Israel. “Ado nay e lo heno ado nay yechad,” six mystical words which leave no room for doubt which could appear

Shoe Shiner Tzedaka
8” x 6.75” x 2.25”
The Tzedaka box issue of the Jewish heritage was a very intimate tool to collect donations on a daily basis. We would see them in many places such as, people's houses, as well as synagogues, in grocery stores or any other place you could think of. These "Tzedaka" boxes were placed in such places that would catch people's attention, and often times were very large pieces. "Tzedaka Tatzil Mimavet" means, "Who repeatedly makes a donation will save the death from himself."

Shoe Maker Tzedaka
6” x 6.5” x 3”
The Tzedaka box issue of the Jewish heritage was a very intimate tool to collect donations on a daily basis. We would see them in many places such as, people's houses, as well as synagogues, in grocery stores or any other place you could think of. These "Tzedaka" boxes were placed in such places that would catch people's attention, and often times were very large pieces. "Tzedaka Tatzil Mimavet" means, "Who repeatedly makes a donation will save the death from himself."

Shoffar Mountain
12” x 5”
In ancient times the shofar would be blown from the temple mount in Jerusalem, spreading the message of the high holidays far and wide as described in the words of the song Shofar koreh behar habayt baeir haatika. Through thousands of years military forces tried to conquer Jerusalem, yet only one leader, King David, knew the true weak point of the city. As
the quote says, “cutting the flow of water into the city of the top of the mount will make her ready for capture. ”The piece shows the vulnerability of the city on the mount, while showing the majesty of the shofar being blown from such a pinnacle.

Soffer Stam
6.25” x 4.5” x 4.5”
Specialty trained Torah text writer, with the specialty and ability to re-write the text of the torah, and add the different crowns and troops on the top of the words as necessary, these fellows are specially trained, and skilled with a lot of patience who could keep a pure kosher environment on a personal level when they write on the scroll of the Torah.

The Butcher
7” x 6” x 5.5”
The terms of “Kosher” or “Glatt Kosher” are applied to so often, which makethe whole issue, leave a horrible taste in the mouth. In this piece I try to include the variety of symbols, which has been created in the last century about different levels of kosher meat products. At the front of the plate of
this piece you could see two different marks ® © and a big cross on top of them means this is not right mark for kosher. How could decent people rely honestly on such a big gallery of symbols and find himself in proper activity dealing with kosher food?

The Fiddler
4.5” x 3.5” x 3.25”
The most desirable Klaysmer with the Jewish flavor. The Violin became a symbol of individualism which was played from the rooftop. The ceremonial events of “Khupot,” the Jewish Klaysmer was well known in Eastern Europe. The artist commemorates them in a different way in application to the Fiddler on the roof.

The Ice Man
3.5” x 3.5” x 7.25”
Early 50’s back in Israel living in a tent or condo without electric power, we used the refrigerator as ice boxes, buying the ice from the ice man who sold ice in the neighborhood. Putting the ice in the freezer and saving the food to be preserved. This is an exact replica of that trader from that time.

Shocket
7.75” x 3.5” x 6.75”
1950’s in a neighborhood grocery center, the Shocket was connected to the butchery stores in the local market center. In order to kill the chicken which people from the butchery store have purchased. In the back of that butcher store, as children we were also eyewitnesses to the work of the shocket. Which time to time people also brought lambs, and goats as well.

The Tailor
4.5” x 4.25” x 4.25”
A typical traditional Eastern European Tailor in the who served everyone. This trade was typically in the hands of men. While working in the neighborhood the tailor would hear large amounts of gossip and rumors of the people. The tailor had a hidden station for privacy, and saw the customers trying on their new
clothes. His position was mainly funded by his attitude, he would hear but never spoke about people’s words anywhere else.

King Davids Tower
5” x 2”

The Watermelon Seller
4.25” x 7.25” x 4”
As children in the neighborhood we spent most of your summer vacation helping the produce traders to increase his sales by delivering melons to be sold from door to door. He would give us a wagon full of melons, knives, and scales in order to present the people how sweet and ripe the watermelons were.