creative jewish mom

Process Art Collage For The Three Weeks

Process art is all about the making of the art as either therapy or a way of loosening up, or both. The end result is not what counts, but rather the process. I do want to write about this a bit more, but my daughter is waiting for me to help her with her photography homework, so lets just say that this bits and pieces collage is a great project to do today, on the 17th of Tammuz, while you think abou the importance of the day, especially on a personal level. Do it with your kids and have a conversation, or do it with yourself (as I did) and use it an an opportunity to work through anything that has been bothering you, it works! And best of all, we will actually be using this collage for another project, so don't toss it, just stay tuned for an update early next week. While you are doing this collage you may want to keep Jerusalem, or the destruction of Jerusalem in mind. I had the gates of Jerusalem as well as the destruction in mind, together with some little things from my life currently. Ah yes, and no excuses friends, this uses all kinds of stuff you can dig out of your purse or pick up off the floor of your studio! Okay, lets make a collage!

Remembering Jerusalem: Family Crafts For The Three Weeks

The 17th of Tammuz, the minor fast day which marks the beginning of the period of mourning for Jerusalem that is referred to as "The Three Weeks" is on Thursday, so lets add some meaning to this important time with some creative crafts! For those of us who live in Israel, and for whom the idea of the destruction of our Holy Temple in Jerusalem is easier to grasp, the crafts can be a great way to delve deeper into all the issues that surround this mourning period. This year with all the craziness in the world working through emotions with art and craft is a valuable exercise for everyone! For those living outside of Israel, I'd say filling the house with crafts for the three weeks is crucial to stress its importance.......so let's get crafting. Below you'll find more than enough links to keep you busy for at least three weeks!

Beit HaMikdash Mosaic From Broken Tile And Findings

Today is Rosh Chodesh Tammuz, so wishing every one a chodesh tov, a wonderful new month filled with blessings. Unfortunately for the Jewish people we are once again entering a month that is filled with great tragedy, though we have 17 days until the mourning period starts. I really don't know if there is any other People (Judiasm is both a religion and a People)  that continues to mourn events that happened thousands of years ago, and that in itself is one of the reasons that we have survived despite all attempts to wipe us out. We mourn and give great importance to past tragedies, while at the same time having great hope for a brighter future for ourselves and the entire world.

The main thing that the Jewish people mourn is the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, twice. The major events leading up to the destruction are minor fast days, and the last 9 days before the total destruction is the strictest mourning period on the Jewish calendar. So, mosaics which depict Jerusalem, and especially the Beit HaMikdash, are perfect projects to think about and start creating now!

I saw this Beit Hamikdash mosaic many years ago in a wedding hall somewhere near Beit Shemesh, I believe, and apologize to the creators for not being able to give them credit. To boot it was very dark and therefore my photos are not great quality, but the quality and creativity of the mosaic is so wonderful I just had to share it with you.

Paint The Kotel In Rainbow Colors For The 17th Of Tammuz !

I have pulled this post from the archives, as it is truly a perfect one.

Today is the 17th of Tammuz, a solemn fast day on the Jewish calender which marks the beginning of a three week period of mourning for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, (The Holy Temple/King Soloman's Temple.) So with the boys home from school early, and my daughter just starting her summer vacation, there is no time like the present to try and get back into our crafting groove which I have missed greatly! So today I pulled out the watercolors, and grabbed a white corrugated cardboard box, and we all spent some time painting the stones of the kotel, and I just love the results!

Yes, my boys smirked when I told them to use bright and beautiful colors for the stones that they know as beige, but I explained to them that we were painting the stories that the stones had surely witnessed, and all the beautiful prayers whispered in front of these stones every day by countless individuals from both near and far.

Rebuilding The Beit HaMikdash Recycling Craft For Kids

I have pulled this post from the archives, as it is one of my favorites for The Three Weeks.

Today is the 17th of Tammuz, a solemn fast day on the Jewish calender, and certainly a perfect time to work on my "Rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash" recycling craft with kids of all ages! Of course one could certainly use this idea to also learn about the Kotel (The Wailing Wall) which stands today and was one of the outer walls of the courtyard of the Beit HaMikdash.

Starting today, we enter a period of mourning for the next three weeks— mourning for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem that was taken from us in 70 CE, (namely 1,943 years ago!) on the 9th of Av, the day which marks the end of this three week period of mourning. Of course our mourning has many facets, one of which is thinking about how each one of us can do his part to rebuild the temple.

DIY Striped Candles Are The Perfect Summer Craft!

Remember making candles at summer camp? I sure do, especially the ones we made at the beach in milk cartons! Candle making can be on the messy side, but is a perfect craft to do especially when you have a few hours on a lazy summer afternoon, and a bunch of kids (or kids at heart) in need of some creative fun! The candles you see here were actually made by some of my students in a candle making workshop for which I was the substitute teacher. Unfortunately I did not have the time to take photos of all the projects as my students stayed for two hours rather than one, and then needed to hurry off to their bus, so be it! Now I'm hoping to find some time to make some striped candles myself. I'm thinking that a remake of my remember Jerusalem sand jars would be perfect with striped candles, just in time for the Three Weeks.

Ah yes, and best of all, making candles has never been simpler, so lets get started!

Remembering Jerusalem Doodle Craft For The Three Weeks

We are now at the beginning of the mourning period on the Jewish calendar known as "The Three Weeks" and of course since many are on summer vacation, doing some crafting that is relevant to the time period is a must! it is true, there are all kinds of laws whose observance helps us not to forget, but the greatest reminder is to quite simply to get busy thinking about Jerusalem, and I'm here to help you with that! There is something about doodling that is just perfect for summer, and anyone can do it, so I thought that coming up with doodle patterns that depict Jerusalem would be perfect right about now. I've chosen to use Jerusalem domed houses and buildings, cypress trees and the stones of the Kotel as my doodling elements, though I'm sure you can some up with some more. So doodle a bunch of pages, and then color them, and/or set them aside to use for crafting. What crafting you may ask? Stay tuned for that one my dear readers!

The Seventeenth Of Tammuz And The Hurva Synagogue

Today is the Seventeenth of Tammuz, a solemn sun-up to sun-down fast day, which markis the beginning of the mourning period on the Jewish calendar known as "The Three Weeks." Why three weeks you ask? Well, there are three weeks until the most solemn day on the calendar, T'Isha B'Av (the ninth day of the month of Av) the day on which the Holy Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and today marks the day, among other things, that the walls to the city were breached, sigh.

Something that you may find interesting about the Jewish calendar is that it is cyclical like any calendar, and yet the hebrew dates themselves have intrinsic spiritual meaning such that when we mourn an event from the past we are not crying over spilled milk, so to speak, but reliving that event in order to hopefully rectify it and move forward in a positive way. So, no complaining, but rather taking individual responsibility for our own actions that can in turn affect the well being of the entire world. Okay that was rather simplified, but hopefully you get the point.

It also comes to mind to mention on this day, in which we are mourning Jewish persecution, that to some, religious Jews (especially those whose dress really distinguished them from others) may seem insular and removed from the rest of the world, but I beg you to reconsider this and view them rather as people who are serious about their role in this world, and will do just about anything to preserve this role. Something to think about, and certainly this idea could be applied to many situations of persecution.

And how does the Hurva synagogue fit into this post? Keep on reading........

Remembering Jerusalem: Crafts For The Three Weeks

The period of mourning for Jerusalem that is referred to as "The Three Weeks" on the Jewish calendar is coming next week, so lets add some meaning to this important time with some creative crafts! For those of us who live in Israel, and for whom the idea of Jerusalem is real, the crafts are a great reminder that while it is summer vacation (my boys are actually still in school until the end of this three week period) and a time to unwind from the pressures of the school year, we mustn't forget that it still a time for reflection. For those living outside of Israel, I'd say filling the house with crafts for the three weeks is crucial to stress its importance.......so let's get crafting. Below you'll find more than enough links to keep you busy for at least three weeks!

Baby Food Jar Votive Craft For The Three Weeks

We love having guests with sweet babies, and are more than happy when there are baby food jars to craft with!  Even before the guests left I found the small jars that I had put aside from their last visit, and together with some new tall ones, a craft idea was born: baby food jar votives with scenes of Jerusalem. This is our first craft this year with this topic, and the timing is perfect, as we can enjoy these jars for the next three weeks, and when the lights are turned down on the evening of T'Isha B'Av they will be lovely and a good reminder of what the holiday is all about!

Decoupage is a perfect craft for all ages, and results that are both abstract as well as pictorial look great together. So gather some jars, any size of course, and some simple supplies, and make a bunch of votives to use indoors and out!