Passover – A Feast for the Senses!

Last week, I was in Whole Foods and saw the first signs that Passover is upon us. A trip to any supermarket at this time of year will yield rows and rows of artfully arranged and colorful boxes of matzahs, gefilte fish and, of course, my perennial favorite, jelly rings! Passover in New York!

This year, Passover begins at sundown on Monday, March 29th. After a long, cold, and snowy winter in the Northeast, Passover is joyfully anticipated. Always a feast for the senses — Passover heralds the sights and smells of spring flowers and an assortment of delicious traditional dishes on a beautifully decorated Seder table. Stemware glistening by candlelight, Grandma’s china that she brought over from Europe, and Shabbat candlesticks that will be passed down to a loving child. The scene is set for the retelling of the Passover story through traditional Jewish food and drink set amidst a gorgeous landscape of handmade serving pieces. What a beautiful Passover memory!

At Jewish Gift Place, you will find that special piece that will create these Passover Seder memories for you and your family. Pieces that are not mass produced but each handmade with love and which will stand the test of time for many generations. Just in time for Passover, we have added several new pieces to our Passover collection. Gary Rosenthal has created some incredible Passover Seder plates and centerpieces that are sure to be an awe-inspiring presence on any Seder table. Filled with meaning and Jewish symbolism, these pieces add to the story of Jewish Passover unfolding at the feast. Tamara Baskin, a new artist to Jewish Gift Place, has also created some gorgeous Passover items that we have just added to the site. (We’ll tell you more about Tamara in an upcoming newsletter).

Take a moment to scan through our exquisite Passover collection and please use coupon code PASSOVER10 now through 3/19/10 to save with free shipping on any purchase. Take this opportunity to add to your collection or start a new one for a friend. What better way to carry on the beautiful traditions of Passover than by using and handing down meaningful, handmade holiday serving pieces that can grace the tables of your family for generations to come? Our Passover collection is the work of Jewish artisans who lovingly preserve the traditions of our faith in each of their beautiful pieces.

Jewish Symbolism of the Pomegranate and Pomegranate Gifts!

I’ve always been fascinated with the pomegranate. It is such a mysterious and unique fruit. When my daughter was in first grade, her teacher had the class examine a pomegranate that she had cut open for them. Luckily, I was helping out in the classroom that day and it was such a delight to watch as the children clamored around this mystical fruit – ooh-ing and aah-ing, as though she had unlocked the secrets of the universe!

Of course we all know that, to a young child, the world is a magical place and this first encounter with the pomegranate was no different! But it seems as though this amazement at the wonders of the pomegranate has caught on worldwide. The pomegranate is currently enjoying a little bit of celebrity. It’s being hailed as a miracle fruit for its many health benefits, as well as being enjoyed in pomegranate martinis and chef inspired recipes in the finest kitchens.

Jewish history shows that the pomegranate has been revered for thousands of years and its symbolism can be found in many facets of Judaism. Lisa just wrote a great article called the Symbolism of the Jewish Pomegranate, and we’ve added a new pomegranate gifts category to the site. Jewish artists have always turned to the symbol of the pomegranate as a beautiful and meaningful way to infuse a sense of joy and abundance into their work. The artists of Jewish Gift Place are no different! Emily Rosenfeld and Angie Olami are among a number of artists that we carry who love to use the pomegranate in their designs. Take a look – I’m certain that a visit to our new pomegranate gifts page will inspire you to learn a little more about this beguiling little fruit!

The Ayala Bar Spring 2010 Collection Arrives & The Ayala Bar Interview

Winter is almost over and spring has arrived at Jewish Gift Place in a big, bold, beautiful way!  The only word to describe Ayala Bar’s Spring 2010 collection is breathtaking.  In fact, words cannot do this collection justice.  You really have to  see the pieces in the  Ayala Bar Spring 2010 Collection for yourself.  The colors are vibrant and fresh, the crystals are sparkling and clear, and the designs are truly inspired and utterly unique in every way.  Learn just what inspires  Ayala in the Ayala Bar interview with Risa.  Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Where do you get your inspiration?

From everything and anything. From day to day life: A random composition of food on a plate, a film I saw the other night, stuff scattered around the room, and so on. The list can be endless… But of course, above all, matter and material from which creativity becomes possible. Read the entire Ayala Bar interview.

Do I sound like a fan?  Well, I am and you will be, too, once you take a look at this amazing collection.  What I really love about Ayala Bar’s necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, is that they can be worn day or night, with just about anything.  The designs in the Ayala Bar collection can be worn to dress up jeans and a t-shirt for an incredible pop of color and flair, or with a simple cocktail dress to infuse your own personal style.  I can 100% guarantee the compliments you receive on your jewelry will be plentiful!

Whether your style is classic or hip, Ayala Bar’s Spring Collection has something that will appeal to everyone.  Many of the pieces coordinate, but surely no one can fault you if you want to mix and match.  It’s important to note that Ayala Bar limits her collection run to six months, so start choosing your favorites from this collection now.  Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth, full of color and life.  Celebrate spring, celebrate life!

Arts & Crafts Heaven on Earth at the Philadelphia Buyer’s Market
of American Craft

Last weekend, February 13 & 14, 2010, was an amazing weekend for me. On Saturday morning, I left my husband and 3 boys behind, took off for Philadelphia, and headed for the Buyers Market of American Craft at the Philadelphia Convention Center. With traffic on the Belt Parkway, it took 1-1/2 hours to go 20 miles, but I didn’t care – I was on VACATION!!! And what an amazing vacation it was!!

By 2:30 pm, I checked into my beautiful hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn, went next door to the super-cool Reading Terminal Market for a yogurt and chocolate milk made on the farm of an Amish family, then ran across the street to the Philadelphia Convention Center. And entered a world that was like a dream.

Imagine the most creative creations ever made. Imagine colors that you didn’t even know existed. Imagine glass creations that look like an iridescent solar system, or glass as small as a marble with colors of the world inside it, or wine glasses that would take your breath away. Imagine clay made into the most amazing, sparkling, glimmering bowls, and fabric made into the most glamorous scarves and bags. Imagine wood combined and carved into the most unusual spectacular pieces. Imagine metal twisted and welded and mixed into the most breathtaking sculptures, and the jewelry – OH MY GOD THE JEWELRY!!! Watermelon tourmaline, pink gold, green gold, iridescent glass, marbles, stones, clay, plastic, combined, molded, designed into the most incredible pieces of art!!

I would have no problem spending a million dollars at the Philly Buyers Market of American Craft because, if I could, I would probably buy from almost every vendor there. The creations that come from the imaginations of artists is just amazing.

It’s like stepping into Oz. Everything is beautiful. Everything is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. The lights are super-bright, and the colors are so bright and brilliant, blended, and mixed, and forming gradients of color combinations that could only come from a collection of the most creative minds around. Have you ever been to a high quality crafts fair where you walk up and down the aisles and gawk at the beautiful items? Imagine that times 1000. It’s larger than life.

I met my best friend Jill there, and it was doubly fun because she has awesome taste and we love a lot of the same things. I think I caught her hyperventilating a few times looking at the art. Actually – I’m pretty sure of it.

I didn’t think we’d make it through the whole place in 3 hours, but we did. We walked up and down – I’d guess – about 40 aisles. There must have been about 800 artists there. The market was displayed with each medium grouped together, so it went like this (from right to left):

• Glass
• Ceramics
• Outdoors
• Kaleidoscopes
• Inspired Interiors
• Wood
• Metal
• Mixed Media
• Wearable Fiber
• Glass Jewelry
• Premier Jewelry
• Jewelry

WHAT A NIGHT IN PHILLY! A GREAT SHOW AND GREAT FOOD

Jill was only there for the day ( I returned the next day). We parted ways and my night of fun had just begun! I relaxed in my room for about 45 minutes, waited for a cab for 10 minutes, gave up, then walked in the beautiful, crisp, night air to South Broad Street, to the Merriam Theater.

Now, I’m not familiar with shows in Philly, so I wasn’t sure what kind of a production “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” would be. I love all shows – High School, College, whatever (I used to want to be an actress), so I was up for anything. What a surprise! This was the national touring company with stars from the most prestigious theaters on earth. I’ve been lucky to see lots of Broadway shows – I live close to Manhattan, and I’ve never seen a national touring company before – but this show had talent as good as it gets.

I was shocked at the great seat I got for $27.50. Row L Center Row Orchestra. Too bad a tall guy sat in front of me, blocking about 1/3 of stage right. After 20 minutes I went back a few rows, but still, orchestra isn’t as great as it’s cracked up to be. (I’m used to the nose-bleed seats and I like it up there!) Even if a little bit of someone’s head is in your way, you can’t see everything. After intermission, I went back even farther, and had the best seat!

WHAT A SHOW!! What credentials! One of the stars of the show, Howard McGillan, was “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway a record setting 2,500+ times! The other stars were also Broadway stars, as well. Deone Zanotto was an amazing singer and dancer. It was awesome seeing the 30-piece orchestra on stage with 5 violins, a harp, which is an incredibly beautiful instrument, a cello, flutes, oboes, 2 sets of drums, and more.

I knew probably one-third of the songs from Joseph, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Starlight Express, Sunset Boulevard, and Evita, with popular tunes such as “Memories,” “ Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” and many more, which totaled 31 songs. I never saw Starlight Express, and I usually enjoy songs better when I’ve heard them before, but this show has awesome music.

It was just a a fabulous production and I think it might be worth returning to Philly, even staying the night with my family, just to see the Broadway quality shows and enjoy the town, which reminds me of a smaller Manhattan. Annie and the Lion King will be there next.

I was going to eat before the show, and figured 45 minutes would be enough but WRONG! It was the Saturday night before Valentine’s Day and each restaurant I went into was packed. So after the show I went to Italian Bistro, and for $20, I had the most awesome 4-course meal (in case you’re wondering – bruschetta, salad, tilapia with a white wine chive-butter sauce, served with grilled zucchini & mashed potato, and tiramisu – MMMMMmmm!!!) And I enjoyed the rest of my night strolling back to the hotel, reading a book, and watching part of “17 Again.”

DAY 2 IN PHILLY

In the morning, I kept to my New Year’s resolution of exercising, and rode a stationary bike in the fitness center for a ½ hour. I felt a little lame about it, peacefully pedaling away while the 3 women next to me were running on a treadmill huffing and puffing for a ½ hour.  (Maybe I should have turned up the resistance?)

After burning off those few calories, I had a great breakfast at the hotel (included in the hotel fee) then I went back to the Buyer’s Market. I thought for sure I’d be there only about an hour – after all, I’d seen in all. But I was very wrong. There were pieces I was seeing for the very first time, and I’m sure if I walked those same exact aisles five more times, I’d be seeing things I’d never seen before. There’s just so much to see and ponder and stare at.

It was on Sunday that I bought things from new vendors that I’m excited to share with you.

WATCH FOR NEW ARTISTS AT JEWISH GIFT PLACE

Sandy Katz – Sandy makes the most incredible mezuzahs made out of iridescent glass. The colors are unbelievable and I’m sure, even if brilliant, sparkly and, bright colors are not your style for your home, you will enjoy just looking at these amazing mezuzahs.

Naturally Wood Creations – Gary Markow makes beautiful and clever wooden menorahs out of different types of wood that can be configured to make your own creative menorah design. He also makes personalized menorahs out of children’s blocks. These are a great gift for kids and even as an engagement and wedding gift. And he makes beautiful Challah boards with the prayer laser etched into the wood. I have a good feeling about all of these items.

Tamara Baskin – I have been admiring her pieces for years. She makes the most beautiful Passover Seder Plates, mezuzahs, menorahs and other incredible Judaica. I look forward to adding her pieces to the site.

MudWorks & Friends– On the fun side, JoAnn Stratakos makes the most clever pottery mugs. Now, I’m biased towards all things pottery. I used to make pottery. Her mugs are very very cool with Yiddish and Hebrew phrases on them, such as Chai Maintenance (with the Hebrew letter), Shalom, Oy Vey, Bubbie, and more. She’ll even stamp whatever name you want on the mugs. These substantial mugs will sell for $25 and will make the perfect gift for a Hebrew school teacher, friend, or anyone. You can’t go wrong with a handmade pottery mug!

M.O. Judaica – Moshe Ozery makes beautiful personalized Hebrew name necklaces and wedding bands that include the standard sayings or create your own.

I met up with many vendors whose works I already sell, such as Gary Rosenthal (the very first vendor I ever bought from), Eduardo Milieris, Steven Bronstein of Blackthorne Forge, Emily Rosenfeld, Gloria and George Gabriel of Infinity Art in Metal, Jan Lanier of Silk Bijoux, Beatriz Kelemen of K4 Glassart, and Michal Golan. They have all added the most creative new pieces to their collections, which I hope to get on the website soon, as well.

REFLECTIONS OF ARTS & CRAFTS IN MY LIFE

For two days I was in Arts & Crafts heaven. Arts & Crafts was my first passion and is a continuing passion in my life. I remember being so excited in the first grade when my painting was chosen to hang in the local bank on Kings Highway in Brooklyn.  Throughout the years, I made beaded jewelry, hats, and woven baskets. In my last year of high school, I did a 6 month internship at New Youth Connections where I was the Arts Editor. During the summers of high school, I was the Arts & Crafts counselor in a day camp. After college, I took classes in oil, acrylic, and water color painting. I took pottery classes, calligraphy, and still enjoy any arts & crafts project. I was thrilled to discover web design 10 years ago, and I have designed over 30 websites.

Now, I think I’ve found my ultimate passion – getting to travel and buy these incredible crafts and sell them to you. This is coupled with another passion – web design and SEO (designing my website and getting it found in the search engines). Every time I add a new artist to the site, or a new piece, and someone buys it – it’s affirmation that someone out there loves and appreciates these beautiful pieces as much as I do.

In a world where it seems like almost everything is mass-produced and attention to detail is overlooked in order to produce a product faster – immersing myself in the world of handmade crafts, where I got to meet and talk with the artists who are so passionate about their crafts – was a wonderful collective meeting of the souls where handmade crafts are not only treasured, but a way of life for these artists.

GOING HOME

Four hours later, I walked the last aisle in the Philly Convention Center, grabbed a sandwich at the Reading Terminal Market, some flowers for my hubby, some homemade chocolate chip cookies for the family, and headed back home to Long Island in no traffic to my wonderful family to celebrate Valentine’s Day together.

Jewish Gifts To Show Your Love

Valentine’s Day, though not a Jewish holiday, is a great reminder to stop and appreciate those we love. At Jewish Gift Place, we like the symbolism that the holiday represents (LOVE!) and we know that many of our customers appreciate it as well.

A few months ago we added a LOVE category to our site and named it “Ahava/Love Gifts.” You may know that Ahava is the Hebrew word for love, but did you know that it also stems from the root “to give?” How fitting! There is no better way to express love than by giving purely and unselfishly.

To us, Valentine’s Day, though not a Jewish holiday, is a great reminder to stop and appreciate those we love. Whether it be with an Emily Rosenfeld love bracelet, Michael Bromberg Ahava locket or a macaroni bead necklace on a string, use February 14 every year as a touchstone to remember the people you love.

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of our friends from Jewish Gift Place! We wish you and your family the best of health and happiness in 2010!

It has been a very exciting year at Jewish Gift Place, so I thought I’d share with you the highlights of what’s been going on here, and what we hope to bring to you in 2010.

Artist’s Interview Series

At Jewish Gift Place, we are passionate about handmade items. Whether the piece is handpainted, sculpted, welded, built, or fired, every single piece we sell is made lovingly by hand with an artist standing behind every single item.

This year, we interviewed eight of our incredible artists. With questions such as “How did you get started?” and “What do you enjoy most about this career?” the following artists gave us insight into their lives as artists:

• Gary Rosenthal Interview
• Michal Golan Interview
• Ayala Bar Interview
• Eduardo Milieris Interview
• Jami Miyamoto Interview
• Emily Rosenfeld Interview
• Steven Bronstein Interview
• Jan Marie Lanier Interview

Don’t miss our round-up of the artists answering the question, “What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?” Read the entire article for their interesting and insightful answers.

Check out the entire Interview with the Artist series. We’ll be adding more interviews throughout the year.

New Artists Join Jewish Gift Place

We’re always on the lookout for new artists that bring a different style of Judaica to Jewish Gift Place. This year, we added the beautiful work of Davida Designs and Angie Olami. Davida Newman of Davida Designs creates sterling silver designs out of the Hebrew alphabet, creating beautiful letters with intricate detail. Angie Olami has a beautiful collection of Judaica made with 2000 year old Roman glass.

There are several new artists that we’ll be adding to our collection in 2010 including Sarah Beames,Susan Fullenbaum, and several more that I’ve had my eye on for a while.

We’ll also be adding more items from our existing artists including Infinity Art in Metal, Michael Bromberg, Ayala Bar, and Gary Rosenthal – who always has something new going on. Gary’s newest pieces, his picture frames, are already popular with our customers. His frames include both Judaic designs and designs for any occasion and religion.

WWe just added a few special new pieces from Michael Bromberg – Shema necklaces, lockets, and mezuzah pendants.

Jewelry from the Michael Bromberg Collection

I am very excited to announce that Lisa Storms has just joined our staff in November. Like Ulana Illiano (who will be with us 2 years in February) and me, Lisa is a work-at-home mom of Madison, her 9 year-old daughter. Lisa is an excellent writer and will be helping out with adding new products to the website and sharing what’s new at Jewish Gift Place on Twitter and Facebook. She’ll be writing articles and contributing to the blog, as well. Welcome, Lisa! Below are photos of Lisa, Lana, and me, and our kids.

Looking Forward

We’d love to hear from you! Is there is an artist whose work you’d like to see at Jewish Gift Place? Are there any articles you’d like to read? Let us know! I’m excited about going to the Jacob Javits International Gift Fair at the end of January to discover new artists and buy the newest items from our existing artists. I also hope to go to Philadelphia, PA in February for the Buyer’s Market of American Craft. If you love craft fairs, this is the most amazing craft fair you can imagine! I’d love to buy everything there!

Remember, through Friday, 1/8/10, save $10 off any purchase. Use Code 128 at Step 2 of checkout.

We wish you the best of everything in 2010!

10 Hot Hanukkah Gifts

“… and May This Festival of Lights bring Blessings
upon you and All Your Loved Ones for Happiness,
for Health, and for Spiritual and Material Wealth,
and May the Lights of Chanukah Usher in the Light of Moshiach
and a Better World for All of Humankind.”
 –Hanukkah blessing 

Hanukkah is right around the corner and begins at sunset on Friday, December 11th.  Here at Jewish Gift Place, we are very excited and are looking forward to helping you with all your holiday gift-giving needs.  We’ve added a great new page to our website highlighting our 10 Hot Hanukkah Gifts.  From inspirational jewelry to traditional menorahs, these exceptional items have been very popular with our customers and are worth taking a second or third look at!  But please don’t stop there.  We’ve also included plenty of links to help you find perfect gifts for everyone, even those difficult-to-buy-for people we all have on our lists! 

Please note that because all of our items are lovingly designed and handcrafted by our talented artists, your orders do need to be placed soon. Our checkout process is quick and easy and hassle-free.  In fact, as an added bonus, with every $100 purchase, you will receive a FREE Gary Rosenthal small dreidel to keep for yourself or to give away to a favorite teacher or babysitter.  Take a few moments to look at our 10 Hot Hanukkah Gifts – we think you will be pleased with this outstanding lineup.

May love, light, and laughter fill your heart and home this Hanukkah.

What’s New With Gary Rosenthal

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — Gary Rosenthal is the busiest worker bee in the hive! He is always creating something new or getting involved a new charitable cause. I thought I’d give you an update on what’s new with Gary Rosenthal.

New Gary Rosenthal Interview

Yesterday, Risa updated our Gary Rosenthal Interview. We all know Gary Rosenthal is an incredibly talented artist but, what sometimes gets overlooked, is what a catalyst he is for being involved in service to the community. Gary created a foundation, aptly named Art as a Catalyst, to use art as an engine for social change and community involvement.

In the interview, Gary discusses a new line of woven Judaica that he is producing with the help of two autistic workers in his studio. Gary says, “I like to say that all of my staff/associates do what they do better than I would do. No where is this clearer than with my autistic associates. Everyone is different, but John and Tim love to work on repetitive tasks where precision is critical. Weaving is a favorite task and the more the better. After the mezuzahs were so successful, I was determined to create more woven items so that eventually I could hire another autistic staffer for just that collection. That is still my hope.”

Gary Rosenthal has worked with the Autism Society of America in the past, so this is clearly a cause that is near and dear to his heart. Gary’s beautiful woven pieces are certainly popular! Let’s hope Gary is able to fulfill his dream of hiring more autistic staffers. Giving work to those with special needs is really a noble cause.

Gary Rosenthal Musical Jewish Gifts!

Gary Rosenthal has launched some new products that I am incredibly excited to tell you about! Gary has added a line of musically themed Jewish gifts! The pieces are comprised of musical notes and are so unique! He has created Gary Rosenthal mezuzahs, menorahs and dreidels which are stunning!

I can think of so many occasions that this would be perfect for! This would be a great Jewish gift for a music teacher, someone getting a degree in music, a service award for an organist at a temple, or a Bar or Bat mitzvah kid that walks around with an Ipod day and night! I am so glad that Gary branched out into musical Jewish gifts and I know that our customers will just love them!

Gary Rosenthal New Orleans Streetcar Tzedakah Project

Gary Rosenthal has also been busy working on other charitable causes as well, in particular the New Orleans Streetcar Tzedakah Project. His special tzedakah box is created in the likeness of New Orleans’ famous streetcars and was commissioned by a member of the New Orleans Jewish community to thank those many friends of New Orleans who have contributed their time, energy, and financial resources to rebuild the community.

Some of the Gary Rosenthal Streetcars will be given as gifts to deserving individuals, while others will be made available for sale as a way to raise funds to be donated to a worthy New Orleans charity. Gary Rosenthal will donate 10% of his proceeds from the sale of each of these tzedakah boxes to the New Orleans Jewish Federation. Each tzedakah box is signed and numbered by Gary Rosenthal. Purchase the Gary Rosenthal Limited Edition New Orleans Streetcar Trolley Tzedakah Box online at Jewish Gift Place.

Actor Henry Winkler Receives Gary Rosenthal Collection Award

Next I’d like to tell you about a bit of older Gary Rosenthal news that I just heard about. For those of you who are big fans of Henry Winkler, better know as “The Fonz” from the old Happy Days show, you’ll be interested to know that he was presented with the Inspiration Award for his dedication to the Jewish community throughout his career. What better way to thank him than by presenting him with an award created by artist Gary Rosenthal! How great!  Here he is pictured with his award.  What an honor for both Henry and Gary!

FREE Gift With Every Purchase Over $100! A GARY ROSENTHAL DREIDEL!

Jewish Gift Place is giving away a gorgeous Gary Rosenthal Dreidel as a gift with every purchase over $100! This is a $20 value so take advantage of this special!

See you next time!

Rosh Hashana

L’SHANA TOVA!

With Rosh Hashana starting tomorrow night, we want to wish all of you a very happy and healthy New Year! L’SHANA TOVA TIKATEVU! May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year!

Thank you for your business for the past year and the kind feedback that I’ve gotten from many of you. We have lots of new handmade items to share with you for the upcoming holidays, so stay tuned!

 NEW INTERVIEW WITH GARY ROSENTHAL!

I am delighted to announce that I have just posted a new interview with Gary Rosenthal on the site! Not only is he an inspired artist, but he is a person who cares deeply about others and making a difference in the world. Gary’s work in the community, and with his special needs employees, is inspirational! In this interview, Gary talks about his new woven line of Judaica that is handcrafted with the assistance of two autistic workers in his studio. Gary also talks about his plans for the future which include a project that he hopes to be his biggest to date! Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Risa Borsykowsky: What gave you the idea of employing people with autism to help weave the items?

Gary Rosenthal: I like to say that all of my staff/associates do what they do better than I would do. No where is this clearer than with my autistic associates. Everyone is different, but John and Tim love to work on repetitive tasks where precision is critical. Weaving is a favorite task and the more the better. After the mezuzahs were so successful, I was determined to create more woven items so that eventually I could hire another autistic staffer for just that collection. That is still my hope.

Read the entire Gary Rosenthal interview and check out the Woven Collection.

FREE GARY ROSENTHAL DREIDEL WITH $100 PURCHASE!

I am very excited to offer my customers a FREE gift with every $100 purchase. Gary Rosenthal is one of the most popular artists at Jewish Gift Place, so I KNOW that you will absolutely LOVE these GORGEOUS dreidels! Each dreidel is 2″x2″ and is made out of brilliantly colored fused glass and no two are alike!

Wishing you and your family a Sweet New Year!

Risa Borsykowsky,
Owner and
Ulana Illiano
Jewish Gift Place

L’Shana Tova! A Good New Year!

I can’t believe the summer is almost over! Rosh Hashana is fast approaching and since it is a holiday of reflection and renewal, I thought it would be a good time to update you on what has been going on at Jewish Gift Place this summer– to reflect on where we have been and what lies ahead. This summer has been a busy one for us. With three young boys at home for the summer, my family has taken two wonderful camping trips to the Poconos in Pennsylvania, and next week, we’re off to the Finger Lakes in New York and Niagara Falls in Canada. Lana also had an opportunity to get away for a family reunion on the beaches of Ogunquit, Maine to enjoy some R&R! The next few weeks will be a whirlwind with back to school preparations and then we will welcome in the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana. You might find our informative article, “What is Rosh Hashana?” interesting. We’ve just added some incredible new Rosh Hashana pieces that I am sure you will love. NEW ROSH HASHANA GIFTS Emily Rosenfeld has created a lovely pewter honey bowl with dipper that I am sure will be a hit. Emily’s Judaica is such a unique combination of the contemporary and the traditional. Her pieces are always a hit with our customers. As always, Gary Rosenthal is an inspired worker bee who keeps creating the most gorgeous pieces. He has just added two Rosh Hashana items, an apple dish and a honey bowl that are just exquisite and so identifiably a “Gary Rosenthal.” Shraga Landesman has a lovely collection of Judaica as well and we have just added his Apple and Honey Tray. It is really an incredible piece that combines stainless steel, beechwood and glass in a simple yet meaningful way. WHAT’S NEW Last Sunday, 8/16/09, I attended the New York International Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The Gift Fair is always breathtaking in its scale and pace, and, as always, an amazing experience. I saw some incredible new woven pieces from Gary Rosenthal, and Michal Golan added new hamsas to her collection. We’ll be adding these new items soon. I caught up with many of the other artists and I’ll be writing about that and showing photos on our blog soon. We have already received new Judaica jewelry from our newest artist, Angie Olami, who makes the most beautiful jewelry with Roman glass from Israel. You will love her work! We will be adding her products soon and I can’t wait to share them with you! We started a Twitter account, so you can follow us there. We issued our first press release, “Work-at-Home Mom and Web Entrepreneur Celebrates 2 Years of Selling Handmade Judaica Online.” UPCOMING EVENTS We’re very excited to have updated our Gary Rosenthal interview. It will be online soon and we’ll be writing a press release about it, as well. Gary is a wonderful artist and person, and I know you’ll find this interview very interesting. We also have an interview with the amazing Israeli artist, Ayala Bar, in the works. We are proud to carry the entire Ayala Bar Fall 2009 Collection. * * * * * * * * * * As I reflect back on this past year, I would like to thank all of you for your support of Jewish Gift Place in a time when I know we are all feeling the crunch. It is an honor and pleasure to bring our collection of handmade Judaica to you. Thank you for appreciating beautiful handcrafted Judaica and the artisans that craft it. We wish all of you a Happy New Year and a healthy and peaceful year ahead! Risa Borsykowsky, Owner and Ulana Illiano Jewish Gift Place