Reach Out Touch Me: Jewelry Design from Israel Gets Physical

By Ziva Haller Rubenstein of Designist Dream

Shopping is a sensual experience for me in that I like to touch things on view or on sale. More than just look or pull off the rack, actually playing with the fabric or material gives me a better sense of the object - how it will wear, drape, endure, draw attention or compete with other things on my shelves. So maybe now you can understand why seeing these bracelets by Israeli Jewelry Designer Dana Hakim Berkovich behind a glass at the Designed in Israel 08 exhibition was so upsetting for me.



First off, what immediately attracted me was their texture. The woven braids on the cuffs and bracelets seemed so intricate and layered that my fingers literally started walking across them atop the glass just itching to cop a feel. Then, reading the artist's statement, I realized they were made of cardboard - egg crate cardboard to be more specific! That's right, not what you first think of when you hear of textural jewelry or think of coveted bracelets. Berkovich cuts diamond shapes into the cardboard and when rounding them into the bracelet shapes generates a 3D effect - what I thought originally was a woven pattern. Berkovich's overall technique aims to recycle used materials into beautiful accessories and challenges users to rethink the beautiful and the possible in what we casually throw away.



A little ways away in the same glass case, Israeli jewelry designer, Yael Friedman, also got my fingers itching. A delicate pewter-metal blend gold Hanukiyah or Chanukah Menorah presented the neatest little DIY project that just couldn't go wrong. A one-dimensional page of metal provided cut outs of semi-circles - each with laser cut decorations - that can be slotted together to form a fully functioning eight-plus-one candle holder. The details gave some light and delicacy to the metal material and the adornment was reminiscent of jewelry techniques. And the idea of being able to mail someone a flat DIY Menorah in time for the holidays? Opens a whole new world of holiday card options. Now if I could only get my hands on these items...

~Crossposted from Designist Dream~

It's a Big Jewish Tent

Despite being the president of a Jewish group in the D.C. area for two years, I didn't know a lot about the online Jewish community. When I became ModernTribe's Director of Affiliate Programs, I started exploring Jewish sites I'd never looked at before. There were groups of all different stripes: educational, cultural, LGBT, musical, pro-Palestinian, literary, Hillels, social justice, and more.

With such a diversity of interests and views, some Jews are bound to disagree with others and traditional stances. For example, the engrossing documentary Trembling Before G-d reveals the difficult position of Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish homosexuals trying "to reconcile their passionate love of Judaism and the Divine with the drastic Biblical prohibitions that forbid homosexuality." Watching the movie, I was struck by how much easier it would have been for them to change their denomination to one that accepted them, but I have to think that losing that connection to the Jewish community they were a part of was too great a price to pay.

So one of the questions we asked ourselves is how to respond to questions such as "Why do you affiliate with groups that conflict with traditional Jewish beliefs?" Our response so far is that ModernTribe is open to an affiliation with any group that builds Jewish community, regardless of what stripe of Judaism, political beliefs, or other philosophy they adhere to. Our Jewish gifts are designed for younger, progressive Jews, so we felt our visitors would generally be open-minded. And isn't questioning and arguing about what it means to be Jewish the essence of Judaism?

Fair Trade Judaica

Jeremy pointed me to Fair Trade Judaica and I'm excited about it for a couple of reasons. First, they have links to Fair Trade coops which are producing Judaica and Kosher foods. They list a coop in South Africa who is producing Zen minimalist Judaica. Check it out:


And they found Fair Trade chocolate gelt! (Don't be surprised if you see all this stuff on ModernTribe soon.)

Ilana Schatz and David Lingren, the creators of fairtradejudaica.org, educate site visitors about the Fair Trade movement, but the biggest service of the website is that they outline how Fair Trade fits with Jewish values. They go into more depth and explanation on their site -- which I recommend you visit. But basically, they assert as Jews:

• We are obligated to work for economic justice.
• We are obligated that workers are treated justly.
• We are obligated to be responsible consumers.

And all these things are supported when we support Fair Trade. They continue with information about Jewish organizations involved with Fair Trade -- and add to that list the inspiration for two of my previous posts: Progressive Jewish Alliance's Anti-Sweat Shop Campaign.

(See It's Not Easy to Be Sweat Shop Free and Celebrate Fair Trade Month with Kosher Kippot.)