creative jewish mom

I Am Now On Instagram, Please Follow Me!

Dear Readers, after many many years of holding back from engagement on Instagram, because I am not a smart phone user (I do all things blog etc. on the computer) I realized that if indeed my goal is to share the joy of creativity in general and Jewish crafts with the world, then one needs to figure out how to get to the world, in this case without necessarily letting the world in!

So please follow me @sara.rivka.dahan, right here, and on @creativejewishmom right here. The first account will be all things art related, namely painting and drawing and the second account will be crafts, jewish cooking and all things I share on this blog.

Today Is Yom HaZikaron For Our Fallen Soldiers

Today is Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day for its fallen soldiers and victims of terror. Yom Hazikaron began at sundown yesterday when a siren was sounded across the country for one minute. Everybody stops what they are doing, including cars driving on the highway, and observes the silence to show their respect and remember the fallen. Without our army we would not be a country as defense is a necessity unfortunately for our survival amidst neighbors who are not exactly friendly. You know, the kind of neighbors who think it is okay to send missiles into our yard and send their kids over to our driveway with guns. Not to make light of the situation, but this is reality here in Israel, a reality unfamiliar to most of the Western developed world.

There really are no words, but we offer our prayers for peace and no more loss of life. Today we remember those who paid the ultimate price for our Jewish homeland.

This oil pastel painting made yesterday, shows the beautiful mix of wildflowers that grow in the meadow just beyond the military cemetery in my neighborhood. Life is a crazy juxtaposition of joy and grief, and we pray that grief should only rear its head after a long fruitfal life for all.

How To Camp With Children

Spring has arrived, more or less, so it is time to get outdoors and teach our kids about the amazing gift of the natural world! Camping is a great activity to do with children, and even if you've never done it yourself, you can start the journey together! Camping and backpacking teaches us, just for starters about nature, about the ability to cope without running water and electricity, and about self reliance and independence. Camping is also a great bonding activity for the whole family, and teaches kids valuable lessons about survival and working together. With all these amazing benefits, you may wonder, when is the right time to start taking camping trips with the kids? And how do you do it? Do you have to prepare them? In this article, we will give you some valuable tips for camping with children.

One great way to commit is to start by investing in your idea and buying a tent, which is exciting indeed. If the kids are on the young side you certainly need a tent that fits both you and the kids, and do invest in the best family tent in the UK, to get started on the right foot. Okay, ready?

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! After some warm Spring weather we had rain and cool weather on Shabbat, which is fine with me......the house felt cozy and I enjoyed sitting around and chatting with my teens. My how time flies! Speaking of time, did you know that we are in the period on he Jewish calendar called the Omer? It is 49 days long and culminates with the holiday of Shavuous, and the receiving of the Torah. It is a time of mourning, and character refinement, and at the least until the 33 day, there are no weddings, no music, no haircuts and an effort to remember the seriousness of this time. I am continuing to work on the art journal for the omer that I started last year, and will finish it this year. I wish I had time to start another, but have enough projects on the fire at the moment, so that will have to happen next year. Okay, that is all for now, enjoy the features from last week's party, and take care!

Schlissel Challah Rolls For The Shabbos After Passover!

To honor this special shabbat, namely the first one after Passover in which we traditionally prepare challah in our homes once again, this year I decided to try once again to make some small rolls shaped like keys, which we call schlissel challah. And yippee, at least one was photo perfect enough to share with you. This key shaped challah baking business is not simple as once the dough rises the forms can go in a million directions, and I'm only showing you this one, so don't expect perfection!

And after all, the whole tradition isn't really about the key, or a perfect key for that matter, but rather about the idea that when a Jewish woman makes challah, and makes the appropriate blessing over the dough before it is baked, she is bringing blessings into her home, which has the power to open all kinds of gates!

Do take a look at the traditional key shaped challahs that I have made in previous years to see how I shaped the dough, and then just do smaller versions of that! Wishing you a wonderful shabbos filled with blessings, whether there is a key or not. And if not, why not whip up some fun key napking rings?

DIY Key Napkin Ring Craft For The First Shabbat After Passover!

I am re=posting this craft from a time when my kids were much younger (7 years ago!) and I made an extra effort to make each special shabbat special. (Today I made each shabbat special with the specific traditional family foods they love) I was looking for my images of key shaped challah, and came across this, so I thought I'd dust it off. Enjoy!

To honor this special shabbat, namely the first one after Passover in which we traditionally prepare challah in our homes once again, I just came up with a quick little key napkin ring craft as I'll be making bagels instead the traditional key shaped challahs that I have made in previous years!

And after all, the whole tradition isn't really about the key, but rather about the idea that when a Jewish woman makes challah, and makes the appropriate blessing over the dough before it is baked, she is bringing blessings into her home, which has the power to open all kinds of gates!

Today Is Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is the very sad and reflective Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. As the sun sets on the possibility of speaking with a living Holocaust survivor, and to hear first hand about the unimaginable atrocity that let to the murder of 6 million Jews and around 400,000 non Jews, we must each take steps in our own lives to eradicate racism, discrimination of any kind, baseless hatred, and ignorance. Please.

Tiny Spring Wildflowers In Northern Israel

There is nothing quite like coming upon a patch of colorful wildflowers in Northern Israel. I'll admit, the wildflowers that we saw in Sweden two summers were pretty amazing as well, but these flowers are close to home, and very much a part of our lives, well my life anyway. I look forward to the first signs of Spring, and the the changing of the guards in the meadows as one species after another has its moment in the sun. This year I caught the barbary nut (poor man's iris) in bloom in great quantities that I'd never witnessed before, though within a couple of weeks they were gone....While most folks recognize and appreciate the red anemones and red poppies that are native to our area, I think it is the little flowers that just don't get enough attention. So, dear readers, here I present to you the little wild flowers in bloom. Well most of them are little, shhhh the cyclamen are medium sized, but I won't mention it if you don't. Enjoy!

Red Crown Anemones In Bloom In Northern Israel!

The gorgeous red crown anemones, that are natives in certain regions in Israel, are in bloom, well technically they were in bloom, as they are dwindling quickly. The truth is that these beauties can begin blooming here and there as early as December, with the quantities seen here happening in March. I took these photos of this spring delight a good month ago, and was just too busy with Passover prep to share them with you then. Sorry about that, and hopefully when the red poppies bloom I'll share those photos with you in a timely manner! Yes red anemones and red poppies are not the same thing, though many folks confuse them. They may be difficult to tell apart, but the leaves are different, with the poppie boasting larger leaves, and blooming starting in March. So if you see red poppy like flowers in April chances they are poppies!

In Hebrew the anemone flower is called a kallanit, and while I never made the connection myself, this is (quite obviously) because the flowers are beautiful like a kalla, a bride! And funny enough while in English all the red flowers are referred to as poppies, in Hebrew all the red flowers are referred to as kallanit, which is correct at least until March. So friends, learn the names of the wild flowers that grow in your area, so that you can identify them! I just picked up a whole set of nature guides for Israel, and it was the best little present to myself, as I now have all that info handy, like now! Okay, lets take a look at the blooming crown anemone in the pine forrest area just 7 minutes or so from my house, so thankful for that!

Recycled Bottle Organizer With Art Scraps

Looking for a fun way to use up some painted paper scraps or unsuccessful art, and get organized? These reycled bottle organizers are just the thing. Of course you could choose to make a paper vase with your artwork, as I did for Passover, but the little scraps? Put those in a pile to make plastic bottle organizers that can also be used as little gift baskets. Whether you choose to punch holes in your bottle and thread some ribbon for a nice decorative touch, or use tape, the results are so much fun and perfect for storing art supplies, though I just realized they'd be equally great on a summer picnic or party table to hold silverware or napkins! I've used this idea over the years, and it is always wonderful. The shiny plastic makes whatever you put behind it look amazing, and so this is also a great way to display children's art, or use a child's art to make a gift for a loved one. So many ways to use this idea, so lets get started!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! While it is still Passover everywhere except in Israel, we are already on the other side of Passover, and today is actually a day where many celebrate by eating levened products, and the Moroccan Jews especially, with Mimouna parties, so let the party begin! I start this party right after Shabbat is over in Israel, so give or take a few hours, we will be quickly packing up the Passover kitchen, and then my daughter will make mufleta, Moroccan tortillas, to serve with honey. We used to have to try and beg for these from neighbors, but now tada, daughter has been making them for the past two years, to everyone's delight. Now we give to the neighbors! Passover was a wonderful week of family time and outings locally and not so locally, and, with my studio freshly organized, phew, it is time to continue my painting endeavors and counting the omer art journaling, which I started last year. So stay tuned for lots of that, and now, lets take a look at the features from the last party, two weeks ago: