The Atlanta Jewish Federation is currently celebrating its centennial.

Included in the many projects and festivities of the year is a special invitational exhibition/sale of specially designed art work, to be displayed at the Breman Jewish Museum.

"The Art of Giving"

challenges artists to think "beyond" the charity box, in his project, and each artist has been asked to present a special statement concerning his experiences or opinions concerning the subject of charity....

I have created two projects, one, my own personal project; and the other a joint project, in which I invited my Jordanian friend, Mr. Achmed A.S. Khalifeh, to join with me in exploring the attitudes and ritual sources of the subject of charity in our two faiths, Judaism and Islam.

In my personal project, I demonstrate that there is a relationship between tzedaka of the heart, given at holidays, and usually in form of small change, or tzedakah donated for provision of foods and clothing for needy at holiday time, as opposed to "required" tzedaka, which was in Temple times a dictated, authoritarian system of terumah, ma'aser, and peyah. With the Temple destroyed, payments were made to the central Jewish authority of the given community: Sanhedrin, central authorities in Spain, the Council of the Four Lands in Central Europe, and in the modern American scenario, The Jewish Federations.

The Jewish Federations divide their collective funds into many areas, providing health care, help to the handicapped and elderly, aid to new immigrants, and education and community facilities, stimulating additional funding from other sources to create more successful and better organized facilities.

My project is a two tiered tray system The top layer, the tzedakah of the heart with six segments, representing six basic holidays in which it is incumbent on the Jew to contribute charitable funds as a part of that holiday's observances: The three Festivals: Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot. In Sukkot, we are obliged to help others less fortunate to purchase the etrog and lulav. At Pesach, during the bedikat chametz (searching for crumbs) we are reminded that we need to help the needy to buy their matzot. This special charity being the "Kimcha d'Paschah". And in our readings at Shavuot, we are brought to the stark realities of the frequent famines that we have known in our region, with Ruth and Naomi being forced to move to Canaan, to seek gleaning possibilities in the fields of Boaz----who was obliged by Torah Law to invite the needy into his fields to seek the forgotten and lost sheaves. The Sabbath candles remind us that we need to provide financial assistance to those who need funds for oil for the lamps, and wine and bread; Chanukah too, requires charitable donations for the needy to purchase oil for their lamps; and Purim cannot be fully celebrated without donations of funds to the needy, and gifts to others of at least two foods. Each segment may be removed, for personal use and enhancement of the holiday, such as the feather, candle and butler's pan, for the bedikat chametz of Pesach, Chanukiah for Chanukkah, Shabbat lamps, with match box, cheese slicer or cheese cake server for Shavuot, etrog holder for Sukkot, and "mishloach manot" tray for Purim. These trays are all of worked, pierced and joined brass and copper. The bottom tier contains six collection trays, each one representing one of the basic activities of Federations: education, health, welfare, social affairs, community organization and attention to the needs of the aging and handicapped. They are pierced and worked copper and brass. The trays are wooden platters, joined with copper covered screws. The price of the project is $6,1300, with a part of these funds given to the Federation.

In the joint project, with my friend Mr. Khalifeh, a sandstone artist in Amman, we explored the sources in our traditions concerning the subject of tzedakah. Both Islam and Judaism in the Torah and the Koran require organized contributions of funds and tithing, and submitting these funds to the central authority for organized distribution. Still though, the extra "charity of the heart" which goes beyond the required contribution, is encouraged: "He who is kind to the poor, lends to the Lord" Proverbs 19:17; and "Allah loves those who are charitable toward the needy" (Koran: "The Cow"). In Arabic, the words for the required charity, zedaqua, and voluntary charity, za'aqua relate, as well as the word "zedik" friend---a true friend being a person who is charitable. In Hebrew likewise, "tzedakah" , chairy, relates to "tzedek" --justice, and "tzadik" a righteous person---actually, even a holy person. For our joint project I created a charity collecting plate, in brass, with the two inscriptions, in Hebrew and Arabic, and decorative Mozarabic cartouche from Medieval Spain.... Mr. Khalifeh is creating two sandstone figures of a giver and receiver. We have decided to donate our piece to the Atlanta Jewish Federation. We will be creating similar copies later this summer, to be shown in the Jerusalem International Crafts Fair, where Mr. Khalifeh is an invited participant.