Ancient Jewish Text: Inspiration for Contemporary Metal Art

I'd like to start off by thanking all of you for being here. Without your presence this event could not be a success. Next, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the presence of my maternal grandparents, Arthur and Mary Kleinhandler, who not only survived several years in Nazi concentration camps, but managed to come to this country and raise our family with love.

My grandfather, who was a precision tool and die maker, began passing his tools down to me when I started working with metal in 1992. Without their incredible perseverance and the "metal gene" I seem to have acquired, none of this art would have been possible. Finally, my parents Mitch and Susan Golant have encouraged and supported my journey as an artist from its inception, so to them I am truly grateful.

As I go through this presentation, I plan to show you how I developed my craft and faith through the making of mezuzah cases, how I use the words and letters to transcend its past meaning and finally I will illustrate my role as maker of the Crown of the very first Torah scribed by a woman.

Although I had been given Reform Jewish education, at Temple Israel of Hollywood, from the age of three including a Bat mitzvah and a two month trip to Israel my first mezuzah cases created in 1993 were not about faith or text. I wanted to preserve a Jewish tradition that might have been lost had Hitler's Germany been successful in its endeavors. My early mezuzahs, which I made as a student at California State University San Francisco, expressed my ambivalence in belief in God after such atrocities.

As you can see these mezuzah cases have barbed wire, flames and jail bars, which exemplify the feelings that come with growing up as a grandchild of Holocaust survivors, in a world where genocide continues and our holy land is plagued with war and bloodshed.

Despite the intensity of sorrow connected to these first pieces, the more I made mezuzah cases, the more connected I began to feel to my family's heritage as well as to God. I realized that part of my process in making them was directly linked to the processes my grandfather used in his days as a machinist, making dies, and designing parts for production. I graduated from college in 1996, and decided to pursue a career as an artist using my grandfather's tools, and designing mezuzahs for a limited production line. After about 8 years of making and selling them to individuals and stores around the country, without proclaiming any faith in God, I decided to study the text on the mezuzah scroll. That is when I became truly inspired to get the word out about what the mezuzah is and why I think it is a gift from God to all of us.

Sh'ma and V'ahavta are what are encased and placed on our doorposts. The meanings of the words are profound and moving. I felt totally honored to be making the case for them. Although I use an interpretation that is more universal than past translations the holiness of the words have not been compromised.

Sh'ma says: Hear O' Israel, the Source of Life is our God, God is one.

The translation I prefer for V'ahafta is written in the Book of Blessings By Marcia Falk, is as follows:

Loving Life
and it's mysterious source
with all our heart
and our senses and strength,
we take upon ourselves these promises:
to care for the earth
and those who live upon it,
to justice and peace,
to love kindness and compassion.

We will teach this to our children
throughout the passage of the day
as we dwell in our homes
and as we go on our journeys,
from the time we rise
until we fall asleep.
And may our actions be faithful to our words
that our children's children
may live to know:
Truth and kindness
have embraced,
peace and justice have kissed
and are one.

As my faith transformed, so too did my metal art. The "Bars and Windows" Menorah encompasses the feeling of being bound to a history of sorrow (the bars) and at the same time feeling utterly freed by the teachings within Judaism (the windows).

My mezuzahs also went through a transformation. I realized that the S'hma and V'ahafta are the gift of the mezuzah, so I began to make cases which would completely expose the scroll: The focus for me as the designer and maker was to create a case which was worthy of the words inside. The Ascendance mezuzah is an example of one of my favorite private commissions, made of copper, 22K gold and Brown Diamonds.

With my modern interpretation of S'hma and V'ahafta in hand, I offer people of all faiths the mezuzah as an ever-present reminder, to treat all things with Truth, Love and Compassion, and that we are all interconnected. It is a way of creating sacred space in the home, and taking those ideas with us out into the world.

The Hebrew letter Shin for "Shaddai" is found on the mezuzah scroll and case. "Shaddai" is the aspect of God, which protects the gates of Israel. Since the mezuzah is meant to protect the home and soul, through it's meaning, I created "Shin" jewelry, instead of the traditional Jewish Star, to symbolize our oneness with those human beings around us and with God.

As you might expect, the result has been that my mezuzahs and jewelry are finding their way to the doors and bodies of Jews and non-Jews alike. What greater gift do we have as Jews to offer the people of the world, than a glimpse into our teachings? How are we to be a light among nations if we do not take the time to share what is most dear to us, our traditions, our values, our understanding of what it means to be Jewish.

In the true spirit of Jewish Renewal, it is my goal to create metal art which illuminates universal Jewish teachings in order to foster an understanding among people and create a more peaceful world. I welcome your questions and comments on whether my work has been successful in reaching its goal, or on any other topics as related to my art.

As my work moves forward with the Women's Torah Project, I plan to create a crown which both glorifies the beauty in the meaning and tradition of studying Torah, but also one which encourages a dialog among Jews and non Jews on the meaning of Torah. As Marsha has pointed out, no Torah has ever been scribed by a woman in all the thousands of years of our existence. I realize that some Jews will resist supporting such a torah, stating that its creation is merely out of some sort of rebellion. But, truthfully there is no law against women scribing Torah, the act of doing so has been traditionally reserved for those who study Torah. Now that women, even in Orthodox circles study Torah, it was only a matter of time that a woman could become a certified sefer torah, and do the incredible honor of writing one.

As women, we are naturally compassionate as we give birth to all nations. May this women's scribed torah usher in an era of greater compassion and understanding of one another and of our most holy treasure. May we do justice to this historical and life changing event, through our art and in representing this Torah to our people and all people who encounter it.

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