Inside the Artist’s Studio: Creating a Beautiful New Home for the Torah

Video: Judaica designer Alexander Gruss on Simchat Torah, the legacy of the Holocaust, and the value of handmade objects

By Efraim A. Klein for Tablet Magazine

Alexander Gruss and his wife Lorelei have been designing and creating Judaica through Studio Gruss for a quarter century. Their work has evolved in that time from small, hand-crafted pieces like mezuzahs, etrog boxes, and Seder plates for Passover to larger projects, including entire sanctuaries in places as far away as Keter Torah Synagogue in Michigan. “The whole process of design is something I keep learning,” Alex explained. “I always said yes to things I never did before.”

In this video shot in their expansive home-studio in Brooklyn, Alex discusses his life moving from his native Argentina to Israel and later the United States; how he views the significance of his art in connection to the Holocaust; and the cultural shifts he’s witnessed in how Judaica is designed. He also explains the connection between his work building arks for Torahs and the holiday of Simchat Torah.

Sharing Eden, a handbook to sustainable living

 Jews, Christians and Muslims unite to protect the environment

Leading UK Jewish, Christian and Muslim environmentalists have come together to launch Sharing Eden – a unique handbook that uses the teachings of the Abrahamic faiths to encourage a greener lifestyle for all.

As the Dalai Lama emphasised in his recent prayer service at Westminster, religious people must “take responsibility for the environment.” With more than 45 million* self-identifying Jews, Christians and Muslims in the UK, driving more sustainable living in these communities, as well as further afield, could make a significant positive impact on our environment.

Editor Lindsay Swan explains: “Sharing Eden is a remarkable example of interfaith collaboration to reach a common goal – a more sustainable future for all. The authors’ aim, as well as to build bridges between often-differing faiths, is to throw a green light on age-old traditions and practices. They provide clear, easy-to-follow advice on how we can all do our share to protect the Earth, whether we have a faith or not.”

The introductory handbook combines beautiful and enlightening texts from each faith’s religious teachings and worship to address some of the most prominent environmental issues faced today, such as waste, climate change and biodiversity. Drawing from both scripture and personal experience, each author brings a contemporary focus to the eternal challenge of caring for the Earth. The authors also hope to encourage further collaborative efforts and stimulate public awareness and debate on the book’s topics.

The book is published jointly by The Conservation Foundation and Kube Publishing and is available to buy from KubePublishing.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Waterstones.com (RRP: £4.99). For further information, please visit www.sharingeden.org.

* Data from 2009-10 Citizenship Survey: Race, Religion and Equalities Topic Report www.communities.gov.uk

The Authors:

Natan Levy has been Rabbi of Shenley United Jewish Community for four years. He is the Environmental Liaison for the Chief Rabbi’s Office and the Rabbinical Expert for the London School of Jewish Studies’ Responsibility Unit. From 2005 to 2008 he served as the Jewish Campus Chaplain for the southwest of England. Born and educated in America, he is passionately concerned with issues of environmental justice and global morality.

Harfiyah Haleem is a trustee of the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES). She is also the editor of a collection of essays on Islam and the Environment and co-editor of the Muslim Green Guide to Reducing Climate Change. She works with people of all ages, delivering talks and workshops on sustainability to schools and universities.

David Shreeve is the Director of The Conservation Foundation, which he co-founded in 1982, and the Environmental Adviser to the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England. He has co-authored two Anglican books, “How many lightbulbs does it take to change a Christian?” and “Don’t stop at the lights.” He was awarded a Lambeth Degree in 2003 in recognition of his influence in helping the Church’s understanding of environmental issues.

How to Create a Recycled Sukkah

by Rabbi Leah Benamy, Kibbutz Lotan

We on Kibbutz Lotan have the great privilege of living and working full-time in a community where all of us are committed to a special way of life. One of our core values, as stated in our community’s vision statement, is living in a way that nurtures the Earth and our particular corner of it: “We strive to fulfill the biblical ideal ‘to till the earth and preserve it’, in our home, our region, the country and the world.  We are working to create ways to live in harmony with our desert environment.”

Two years ago Kibbutz Lotan’s school-age children entered a regional contest to create “The Most Recycled Sukkah”.  The kids had fun putting their imagination and creativity to work building our communal sukkah, and their parents took pride not only in their efforts, but also in the message we succeeded in getting across, i.e.
that not everything is junk after it fulfills its original purpose! Of course, it also meant a heightened sense of ownership of that year’s kibbutz sukkah for the kids, some of whom went on to encourage their families to build the same sort of sukkah at their houses. Since then, we adults have noticed that our children on Lotan have given greater attention to the second “R” of the trio ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’: When my daughter relabeled a second-grade binder “Third Grade”, rather than throwing it away and buying a new one, I knew she “got it”.

Here are photos of sukkot built by the children from the communities of Kibbutz Ketura and Kibbutz Grofit – and the First Prize Winner from Kibbutz Lotan!

Suggestions for creating your own “Recycled Sukkah”
Create “stars” to sparkle inside your sukkah.  Take all those old CD’s and DVD’s, paint the labeled side, and decorate the shiny side with colored paper cut into triangle “rays”. Hang from the roof.  String together chains of empty (and rinsed!) soda cans and bottles.  Cover toilet paper rolls and string them together, too.

Create a groovy beaded entrance with soda bottle tops.  Punch or drill two holes in the sides of plastic soda bottle tops. Insert a string and tie a knot for each cap. Create a dozen or more strings full of bottle tops and you have your beaded doorway.  Create an “I Spy” game for visitors.  Line the top border of your sukkah with plastic figures and other small odds and ends your children collect. Have your kids create a poster of their own “I Spy” challenge. All your guests will be occupied with a fun game between dinner courses!

Think creatively about materials for walls. Take a loo a the photo on the next page of large egg cartons tied together. What about breaking down the sides of
corrugated cardboard boxes? How about old sheets or towels destined for the rag pile? A challenge: Create mats by weaving together plastic bags from the
super market.

A resource for you, your Rabbi, Educational Director, Youth Group Leader,
and Committee Members, e.g. ARZA, WRJ/MRJ, Social Action, etc

When it Comes to Waterworks, Congress Works!

By Rabbi Jack Bemporad for The Huffington Post

Once you hear Jordan's story, you won't forget it.

Jordan is a young American radiologist who traveled to the outskirts of Honduras' capital city on a mission trip with her church college group. She was there to assist with much needed basic medical services at a community center called Campamento Betel (Camp Betel). Soon after her arrival she bonded with a young friend and patient, a full-of-life 9-year-old boy who enjoyed soccer and laughing with the other children of Camp Betel.

The boy had come to the medical clinic because an infection had spread to his left eye. Jordan and her team diagnosed what's called a Neglected Tropical Disease. NTDs, often caused by lack of clean water and poor sanitation, are so widespread that they impact 1.4 billion people, 500 million are children. The doctors prescribed a course of treatment for the boy, the key to which was a steady routine of hand and face washing with clean water.

A year later Jordan returned to Camp Betel for a second tour with the clinic. She was surprised to see her young friend back at the clinic. The infection had grown and now formed a tumor over his left eye and part of his face. The once cheerful child was morose, dark, and distant.

Despite following doctor's orders, his parents were shocked that their son's condition had worsened. The doctors were not.

Water around Camp Betel is unsafe. Like one sixth of the world's population, his family has neither safe water nor appropriate sanitation. For them, water -- the foundation of life -- is a disease-ridden gateway to illness. The World Health Organization lists 25 dangerous diseases as "water-related," resulting in somewhere between three to six million deaths each year, mostly affecting children. Almost 800 million people have no safe drinking water and an astounding 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation worldwide. But unlike so many complex problems, sustainable solutions to the global water crisis really are within our reach. We have the technology. We need the leadership. This past week we may have seen just that.

Continue reading.

Green Your High Holidays

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are right around the corner. There are a number of things you can do as a way to resolve to be more environmentally aware this new year.


Use local and organic ingredients in your meals: The healthiest foods for the holiday are foods that are grown locally without any pesticides. Food purchased from local farmers or that you grow yourself will be fresher and have a higher nutritional content than food flown in from hundreds of miles or more away. If you are planning to serve the traditional snack of apples and honey, consider that eating locally made honey has been shown to reduce the severity of allergies as well.

Turn off your gadgets: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are holidays that focus both on spending time in worship and spending time with friends and family. Turning off your phone, tablet, iPod and other gadgets will keep you focused on what the holidays are about and reduce your energy use at the same time.

Decorate your holiday table naturally: Head to your backyard or a local park and create a natural centerpiece for your holiday table. A basket with acorns, pinecones and colorful leaves will make the holiday festive. Avoid purchasing centerpiece items that will go right to the landfill when you are done using them.

Get to services more sustainably: If your level of observance involves walking to services for the High Holidays, you are already doing what you can to have a transportation carbon footprint equal to zero. If you don’t or can’t walk to services, carpool wherever possible with family, neighbors and friends. Another option is to take public transportation if your synagogue is near a bus, train or light rail line.

Best wishes for a sweet and green New Year!

This blog originally appeared on jewsininstlouis.org