creative jewish mom

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! Phew, getting back to "normal" life after just a week of Passover takes more than a week, especially since my boys have still been on vacation. Funny how a holiday of just one week actually occupies at least a month! We are now in the period of the Jewish calendar called the Omer, which is the 49 days from Passover to Shavuot and a great opportunity for self growth and creativity! Follow me on IG @sara.rivka.dahan to catch a daily glimpse of my creativity! Speaking of creativity, lets take a look at the wonderful features from last week's party!

Holocaust Rememberance: Jewish Murder In The Ukrainian Town Of Bratslav

 

I am reposting this from 2018, and as always, simply no words....

Today is Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom HaShoah, so I thought I'd mention some of the tragedies of the Holocaust that occurred in one of my very favorite spots, Bratslav, Ukraine. Our family was very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the Passover holidays in Uman, Ukraine this year (my first time ever not at home) and despite quite cold winter weather and main roads in the countryside that are full of deep potholes, we rented a van and a driver and made the trek to Bratslav (one of those places in the world where time seems to have mostly just stood still) with the primary intention of visiting the gravesite of the very great Rabbi Nosson Sternhartz (referred to as "Reb Nosson" or "Rebbi Natan" ) the primary student of Rebbi Nachman of Breslev.

If one takes a moment to consider Jewish History, and in this case Eastern European Jewish history, where there were Jews there was ongoing fear, tragedy and senseless murder in great numbers even long before the Holocaust. I'll admit that I didn't even know about the presence of the Nazis in Bratslav until I started doing some research to add extra meaning to my photos, and now I feel downright foolish for having been there just last week, without even giving it a thought. Sigh.

Theresienstadt Nazi Ghetto In The Czech Republic

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, and once again we are reminded to never forget the tragedies of the Holocaust. We are reminded to fight for truth at every turn, and to do acts of kindness in the names of those 6 mlllion innocent Jews who perished at the hands of evil.

In 2019 I had the chance to visit the Jewish ghetto of Theresienstadt, located just an hour's drive from Prague. There are several museums and a tour by foot of the entire town, and it is a very solemn experience, but one that is of course highly recommended.

Theresienstadt Ghetto was established in November 1941by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, located in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (a German-occupied region of Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served two main purposes: it was simultaneously a waystation to the extermination camps, and a "retirement settlement" for elderly and prominent Jews to mislead their communities about the Final Solution. Its conditions were deliberately engineered to hasten the death of its prisoners.

The ghetto was established by the transportation of Czech Jews in November 1941. The first German and Austrian Jews arrived in June 1942; Dutch and Danish Jews came at the beginning in 1943, and prisoners of a wide variety of nationalities were sent to Theresienstadt in the last months of the war. About 33,000 people died at Theresienstadt, mostly from malnutrition and disease. More than 88,000 people were held there for months or years before being deported to extermination camps and other killing sites.

DIY Counting The Omer Art Journal

With all the preparations for Passover, it is generally quite difficult to think about counting the Omer art projects ahead of time, but this year I actually succeeded in making a DIY art journal for daily creating according to the Omer, ahead of time! I'll admit, it was really quite a fluke, and happened 3 weeks before Passover, when there was still room for creative activities. And let me tell you, I couldn't be more pleased with the results, and the fact that, just as soon as Passover ends I have the energy after Passover ends, I'll be ready to go! Hoping the energy returns soon, as we are already on Day 10 of 49, so time is of the essence! What will I be creating on these pages? Well it is true that there are already many accidental abstract landscapes waiting to be realized, so that may be the direction, but I will decide when the time comes, which means hopefully tomorrow? Lets take a closer look, shall we?

DIY Snake Fold Art Journal From One Sheet Of Paper!

With all the preparations for Passover, it is generally quite difficult to think about counting the Omer art projects ahead of time, but this year I actually succeeded in making a DIY art journal for daily creating according to the Omer! I'll admit, it was really quite a fluke, and happened 2 weeks ago, when there was still room for creative activities. And let me tell you, I couldn't be more pleased with the results, and the fact that, just as soon as Passover ends, (we don't create during the week long holiday) I'll be ready to go.

I had heard of making a journal from one piece of paper, (I today I learned that it is referred to as  snake book, rightly so) but the how of it never quite sunk in until now, and friends, it is so simple and so much fun, and one can choose to make a journal in any size, even a tiny one. It is true, that the pages end up being double the thickness, and there is no binding, but one can choose to glue together the insides of the folded pages, and bind as well, whatever suits you! Interested in making an art journal from one large sheet of paper that you've prepared with an artful background of some kind? Love the fact that it looks like a snake of sorts before you fold it? Lets do it!

Welcome To Craft Schooling Sunday!

Welcome to Craft Schooling Sunday, thanks so much for joining me here! I don't know about you, but after a week of Passover, spent with family and enjoying the beautiful spring landscape here in Northern Israel, I am sooo ready to get back into the creativity, and lucky for us, since we are now in the period called the Omer, the 49 days leading up to Shavuos, we can count the days with creativity in so many ways, which I'll be sharing with you right here! Enjoy the features from the party 2 weeks ago, and lets embrace Spring! I have written this ahead of time, because exactly when I would be making the party live after shabbat is when I will be very busy washing all the dishes and packing away all the Passover pot/pans/containers/silverware/tablecloths/dishes/small appliances and more!

Giant Fennel In Bloom in Northern israel

Ever seen giant fennel in bloom? I certainly may have, but never in the quantities I've seen this Passover, causing me to take note and photograph this beauty! Because Passover occurs at a slightly different time each year, and this is leap year, meaning we added an extra month to our calendar, the flowering species that I'm seeing this year on our Passover outings are different than what I may have seen last year, and friends, it is so wonderful and so inspiring! This year Passover has occurred exactly at the time of blooming yellow everywhere, whether it be this giant common fennel, wild mustard, broom bushes and more! I'll of course be sharing with you photos of it all, not to worry! Right now it is time to give some attention to the giant fennel, which one really can't help but notice as it is quite tall and calls out to those who are fortunate enough to notice such things! I took these photographs in the Birya Forest, not far from Tsfat, and just above the gravesite of Rebbi Yonaton Ben Ouziel, but more on that later, first hello giant fennel!

Hexagon Orange Juice Bites

This Passover we are enjoying the simplest yet oh so delicious treat, hexagon orange juice bites, frozen of course! What can I tell you? Passover is the time for eating fresh and basic food, and with many opting not to purchase processed food, or the bare minimum, squeezing your own juice and making some shaped ice cubes truly fits the bill! I had been saving my hexagon silicon molds together with the Passover dishes, as I figured it would be a great time to use them, though now I'm thinking I'd like to start making these delicious little popsicle bites in a range of colors to serve for shabbos desert, so the trays may just be left behind when we pack away all the dishes! And then I'll have an excuse to get some more in a different shape! Keep on reading to see the molds I used......

The Fabulous Gold Wedding Ring Shaped Like A House!

Right now on the Jewish calendar we are in a period of mourning called "the Omer" during which weddings do not take place, or at the least only after the 33rd day (of 49) in some Sephardic communities. Of course there is no reason not to talk about the amazing house shaped wedding ring that while not used today (there was a contemporary jeweler making some in small batches) it sure should be as in my eyes it is downright fantastic!

The Jewish house wedding ring originated in Medievel Europe, dating back to the 14th century, about 400 years after rings began to be used in Jewish wedding ceremonies in the 10th century. The house ring consists of a miniature model of a house or temple instead of a gemstone, and while early rings were quite simple, they became very very ornate over time. The house, like the huppah, is thought to have symbolized a couple’s new home together. Because of their ornateness, these rings were probably not used for every day and many have bands that make them nearly impossible to actually wear, so it’s not clear when exactly during the betrothal period or ceremony they were worn. Unfortunately there is no one around today who can fill us in, but keep reading to learn more!

Craft Schooling Sunday Is Take A Holiday Break Party Resumes Next Week

Wishing everyone a joyful and meaningful Passover! While in Israel we are now in the portion of the holiday called Chol Hamoed, (until Thursday night) when we do not need to be unplugged, Jews in the rest of the world observe two such days, and have a 2nd Passover Seder tonight, so it just would not be appropriate to be holding a blog party today!

Hope to see you next week, and all the very best!