His beautiful Aluminum Pomegranate Seder Plate features six pomegranates which act as  placeholders for the items meant to go on the Seder Plate. It was made by Shraga Landesman and is the perfect size at  D11.75″x H1″. There is Hebrew writing around the rim of the plate which reads “today you are leaving in the month of spring.”

The silver necklace is available with Hebrew or English letters and it is the perfect way to celebrate each child. Not only does this make the great gift for a new mother, but it is the perfect gift for Mother’s Day. (Don’t worry when Mother’s Day comes around I will make sure to remind you about this necklace.)

The certificates are creations of the artist Micki Caspi of Caspi Cards and Art.  Mickie Caspi is an Israeli-American artist and calligrapher who has been specializing in Judaica since 1980.  Among the many sources that inspire Mickie’s delicate watercolor designs are traditional Jewish motifs, Persian and Arabic illumination, contemporary graphics, as well as art nouveau and art deco. Being an avid gardener, she loves to incorporate the beauty of nature into much of her artwork.

The beauty of this cup is its simplicity. The clean lines and vibrant color choices add a modern touch to the kiddush cup. The cup is part of Yair Emanuel’s anodize cast aluminum pieces. The cup measures 7.5″x 5.5″ x 2.8″ and includes a tray to catch any extra wine that spills.

This kiddush cup is an artistic combination of the traditional and modern.

The Brit Milah Baby Blanket is currently available with blue embroidery.  The Baby Naming Blanket for girls is available in white or pink.

Besides how cute the Bris and Baby Naming Blanket are, here are some other great things worth mentioning  about the blankets.

The Blankets breathe…..

The Blankets ventilate… the weave allows oxygen to flow freely through it.

The Blankets do not overheat or cause static.

The Blankets are made from NATURAL fibers.

Hebrew Blessings Brit Milah Baby Blanket

Baby Naming Blanket

In an attempt to clean up and organize I placed an ad on Craigslist offering various items that needed to find new homes. Long past the days when Craigslist was new and exciting and anything could sell, I didn’t get very many responses to my offer for some free “lightly used furniture.” I became a little discouraged and was realizing I needed a plan B to get rid of my “stuff”, until I got an email from one person who seemed interested. After many emails back and forth and finally a phone number exchange he came to retrieve his new found treasure and I was relieved that my items found a new home. While loading the bed into his minivan he mentioned that he lived at the Moishe House in Los Angeles, and briefly explained to me what it was.

I had never heard of Moishe House and was instantly intrigued. What a cool organization! If only I was a “twenty something” year old. Moishe House creates home-based communities for those in their twenty’s, by training, supporting and sponsoring young Jewish leaders.  According to their website there are 45 houses in 14 countries. Check out their website at http://moishehouse.org.

Once you see Shraga Landesman’s Judaica it will be hard to look at anything else. Presiding in Haifa he draws upon the Bible, archeological finds in Israel, memories from his childhood and nature for his inspiration. His creations include, havdalah sets, Shabbat candlesticks, apple and honey dishes for Rosh Hashanah, menorahs, kiddush cups, mezuzahs and different framed pieces of art.

His havdalah set was one of the items that I was first drawn to, and have personally given as a wedding gift many times over. He uses both metals and wood to create the four components of the set. There is the candle holder in the shape of the pomegranate, the spice box in the shape of a dove, the kiddush cup and the tray that all the pieces rest on. He uses brass, aluminum or nickel as his metals along with beech wood. The set looks more like an art piece than a ritual item. It is really breath taking.

Then there are his menorahs which are equally breathtaking. His Tree Menorah also called the Garden of Eden Menorah is composed of 2 trees: the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. The antelope near the Tree of Life symbolizes the material world. The bird by the Tree of Knowledge symbolizes the spiritual world. The driving force behind this creation is the question as to why trees were created on the sixth day, and not on the day the rest of the plants were created. For Shraga the answer lies in the text itself. The two verses dealing with the creation of Man and the creation of trees on the sixth day are close together, and at the end it is written “to know good or bad”.

We also cannot forget Shraga Landesman’s apple and honey dishes. The apples and honey dish is made from stainless steel and beech wood. The Hebrew words for Happy New Year is cut into the stainless steel. There is a little glass bowl that rests on the tray for the honey. Like all of his pieces this dish comes straight from Israel.

If only we had enough time and space to highlight all his pieces, but that is just not the reality. So visit us at www.allthingsjewish.com and view many of Shraga Landesman’s pieces.