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Chanukah draws to an end and

some not exactly miracles but definitely nice things.


I decided to outline all of the text for my future son-in-law's tallit. This was not a miracle at all but a fair amount of time doing careful work.
I am at this writing nearly done, with less than one verse left to go.

Also in the delightful but not miraculous category was lighting Chanukah candles all week, several nights virtually with our youngest via Skype and two nights with my older sister who spent a couple of days with us.

 Today on my way to do some errands this Christmas tree stand a block from my house was playing not Christmas music, but klezmer. I circled back to be sure that my ears were not deceiving me.
 I stopped off at the local thrift to see if there was anything interesting to look at.

I found this.
A small wall chanukiya designed by Ludwig Wolpert. It was missing its little glass oil holders. It cost a few pennies more than a wrap at a local deli. Both finding it there in the thrift, and the price seemed like something of a small miracle.

This chanukiya matches the one that was owned by my parents that is proudly hanging in my entry hall.
The setting sun made the buildings in the neighborhood look beautiful as Chanukah truly came to an end.


The other (very) minor miracle is that I remembered to post this excellent photo of a Chanukah assembly from Halifax, 1956.
I just love those kids dressed like candles.

Comments

  1. Wow ! the find at the thrift shop really was wonderful. To find a wall chanukiya just like the ones your parents had. Will you be able to find more glass globes? Or will you do something else?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The wonder of the chanukiya is not that it matched my parents' but rather that I found a masterpiece of 20th century Judaica in the thrift. Ludwig Wolpert, the designer revolutionized Jewish ritual art by modernizing the form and by making the text used during the ritual the major design element of his pieces. Wolpert is a major influence on my work and how I think about ritual art. I was lucky to grow up with many of his works in my home. My parents were friends of his and adored him as a person and as an artist. He knew Jewish text and ritual and used that knowledge to create deeply powerful work.

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