First ModernTribe Jewish Wedding

ModernTribe has spawned its first marriage! Jill (Editor) and I (Jeremy, Director of Affiliate Programs) are engaged.

After we'd dated for about two years, and several months after Jill knew we should get married, I too realized that. We'd planned a trip to Jill's alma mater, William and Mary, so that seemed like a nice occasion for the proposal.

My alma mater, Miami University, had a tradition that if you kissed under the Upham arch at midnight, you'd get married. I wondered if William and Mary had something similar, so I asked Jill in general terms about campus traditions. She mentioned one, then said there was another but she would not tell me about it. I looked online and confirmed my suspicion: legend has it that if you kiss on the Crim Dell bridge, you'll get married.

Jill had told me she wanted to help pick out the ring after we got engaged, so I thought a little gift would be nice. I chose ModernTribe's hamsa with two golden birds (kawaii!) to represent us. It arrived in the nick of time!


At William and Mary, it was a nervous day (for me!) of walking around the campus. Finally, we made it to the bridge. We took pictures then kissed...and kissed...and kissed...I was mentally all set to propose, but hadn't realized how awkward kneeling would be. After yet more kissing, I thought it'd be less awkward if I took her hand as I knelt. I knelt and my little spiel was unremarkable, but the look on Jill's face was total shock. When I asked her if she'd marry me she said simply "yes" and we went to sit down and recover. She asked, shaking, if I'd known about the tradition and I told her yes. I gave her the hamsa and she loved it.

Now we're planning the wedding for this fall. Wish us luck!

The Best Appropriate Cool Bat Mitzvah Gifts

ModernTribe.com gets phone calls from people who've been invited to a bat mitzvah, maybe aren't Jewish themselves, and want recommendations for a gift for the bat mitzvah girl. The question is, what is an appropriate bat mitzvah gift that she'll really love? This is our little intro to bat mitzvah & guide for the perplexed about what to bring the bat mitzvah girl.

Japanese Blossom Crocheted Kippah by Diaspora Girl

About Bat Mitzvah

Bat mitzvah is a "coming of age" for Jewish girls. At age 12, they are now considered old enough to take on the responsibility to observe the Jewish laws and practice. For example, girls following the Jewish tradition will now fast on Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish year) and lead the blessings in the home. In most non-Orthodox communities the girls will participate in public religious ceremony and read from the Torah. This ceremony is what most people refer to as the bat mitzvah and it usually takes place when the girl is 12 or 13.

The ceremony is where the bat mitzvah girl will be called to the bimah (the front or "stage" of the temple) and will perform the blessings and read from the Torah. She may read or even chant the entire Torah portion (from the Five Books of Moses) and Haftara (selections from the books of the Prophets) and may even give a d'var Torah, a philosophical expounding of what she has just read (quite impressive for a young girl, yes?). This is no small task! Girls study for years for a bat mitzvah ceremony.

Tips for Bat Mitzvah Gifts

These days secular gifts are given frequently. But a bat mitzvah is a monumental landmark in the Jewish lifecycle, why not let your gift add to the meaningfulness of the occasion?

(These suggestions are in no particular "rank." With any one of these, you can't go wrong.)

Judaic / Jewish Jewelry
Of course a Jewish Star is always appropriate but she may be getting many of these. Consider jewelry with a different Judaic theme. Pomegranates are a hot design motif now. They symbolize integrity, equity, and justice. It is said there are 613 seeds inside the fruit, the same number of mitzvot (good deeds) Commanded in the Torah. With trees (for the Tree of Life) and birds (for Noah's dove) you can't go wrong because they are loved Judaic and secular symbols. There is also the chai: Hebrew letters cheit and yud means life, and the hamsa: the upside down hand which is a very popular good luck symbol.

Plant a Tree in Israel
Israel was mostly desert and marshland when independence was declared in 1948. Planting trees has been critical to creating inhabitable land. The Jewish National Fund is the charity that heads the effort and planting a tree in the bat mitzvah girl's name is as easy as going to the JNF web site. You can even get a beautiful certificate to give her.

A favorite Jewish Recipe
If you are Jewish or can request your Jewish friend's recipe for her magnificent kugel (noodle pudding) or latkes (potato pancakes), consider giving the bat mitzvah girl the recipe along with the necessary serving or cooking gear.

A Biography of a Jewish Woman
Is she a reader? A hardback book about a Jewish woman would be a nice gift. Golda Meir, the first and so far only woman Prime Minister of Israel; Rose Schneiderman, advocate for the rights of working women in the U.S.; Henrietta Szold, American who set up medical units in Palestine and helped resettle thousands of Eastern European Jewish children fleeing Hitler; Zivia Lubetkin, a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt; Ida Kaminska, international star of the Yiddish Theater; Yael Arad, Israeli silver medalist in women's judo in the 1992 Olympics; and Gertrude Stein, American writer who became a catalyst in the development of 20th century modern art and literature. Looking for books on other Jewish subjects? Try Next Book, it's the place on the web to find quality Jewish book reviews.

Shabbat Candlesticks
It is the woman's role to light the Shabbat candles and lead the blessing over the candles that mark the start of every Jewish holiday. A pair of candlesticks that fit her taste and style would make a wonderful gift. A family can have more than one set of candlesticks so you don't have to worry about duplicating someone else's gift. Just make sure it's a pair of the same height.

A donation to a charity, meaningful to the the Bat Mitzvah girl, in her name
For all Jewish lifecycle events, a donation is appropriate. Giving tzedakah (charity) is central to the Jewish faith and the Commandment to bring justice to the world. It's best to choose an organization that fits the girl's interest. Does she love reading? Consider First Book which gives books to children learning to read from low income homes. Does she love dogs, traveling, wants to be a doctor? For practically any interest, there is a charity that fits. Research charities at Charity Navigator.

Public Prayer Items: Tallis, Yad, and Tallit Clips, Head Covering or Kippah
A bat mitzvah girl may get her first tallis (prayer shawl) to wear during her first Aliyah (calling up to the Torah). A well made tallis is made of wool or silk and would be a special gift from a parent, grandparent or close family friend. Like the candlesticks, a person can have more than one tallis, so if you've found the perfect one for her, don't worry about her receiving more than one. If the tallis seems a bit much, consider tallit clips, jewelry that clips onto two sides of the shawl and keeps it on the wearer. If you are going to buy her a kippah or yarlmulke which is a headcovering worn to remind oneself of the presence of G-d, in our opinion, there is only one place to buy a cool kippa for girls: Diaspora Girl hand crocheted kippahs.

Art
Hamsas to hang on the wall, papercuts, and other Jewish inspired art make great gifts.

Money/Bonds in increments of 18
If you want to let the bat mitzvah girl choose something for herself (or save for college), money may be the answer. You can give cash, checks, or savings bonds and make it more meaningful by giving in increments of 18. 18 is the number associated with the word chai, Hebrew for life. Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding number and the letters cheit(8) and yud(10) = 18.

P. S. -- Bring your gift to the party -- not to the ceremony Saturday morning.

Links To Learn More About Bat Mitzvah

Judaism 101
Wikipedia

Shop for Bat Mitzvah Gifts:

at ModernTribe.com

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~