Challah covers
With all of the thousands of challah covers available on the
market, one has to ask if Nathanael has anything new or relevant to offer
clients in this over marketed area of Judaica: the answer is yes.
The subjects are researched, and each one presents a Hebrew lettering style endemic of a
given epic or cultural area. His collectors enjoy each new style.
The covers are hand painted on quality cottons. And they are finished in an attractive manner,
suitable to be used on a bread table where there are crumbs and other soiling
problems. They are washable or dry cleanable, and upon completion, each one is
treated with sanoguard repellant to help protect against soiling. They are
packaged in unique protective envelopes for easy storage.
The phrasing may be more unique and useful, rather just the wording Shabbat Shalom.
Chalah covers may be ordered with a special phrase or design taken from a wedding invitation,
or ordered with the Hebrew monograms of a couple.
The Biblical phrases may be ordered in English or Greek as well, thus they are
very suitable gifts for bat mitzvahs, weddings, and even for clients from the
non-Jewish world. |
For that special wedding gift that the couple will use for years to come,
Nathanael offers a mongrammed challah cover. The "challah dekel" illustrated here
was designed for an American Ashkenasi and her Kurdish groom. The piece is
handpainted on Arabic cotton, and printed with traditional Kurdish design
elements, in the "yazmah" style of Turkish textile printing. The mother of the
bride requested an additional phrase from the Bible, painted in gold. The dekel
is lined with silk, and finished in rough thread pulls to give the overall
illusion that the entire piece is Kurdish loomwork, not painted. |
Chalah Cover |
Chalah Cover |
Chala Cover. |
Chala Cover.
New Idea: Woman's Prayer Shawl from the Har El Exibit July 2002
This "schialleh" was designed as a final project in the Musa series of
studies for Jewish artists at Har-El synagogue in Jerusalem, in 2002. The theme
of that year's Musa series was "love and women" and Nathanael decided to design a
prayer garment for women both of egalitarian and progressive movements but also
for more traditional women. It answers the needs of women wishing to wear a
tallit, without the provactiveness of the traditional tallit. It is a true
"beghged ivri" with four corners and ritual fringes. The piece is two part, with
a removable hood, attached by large Israeli lira coins with illustrations of
temple themes. White indian cotton was "yazmah" block printed with a decorative
cartouche inspired by the designs on the synagogue walls at Massada. The four
corner perforations are protected with silk liners printed with hearts in
gold. The garment is attached at the sides with blue drawstrings. The breast
design is a printed arabic cotton panel with an inscription in Spanish Hebrew from the Psalms "therefore I love your commandments above precious metals and even fine gold". A similar item could be commissioned, which
could include a small pocket for keys, a pouchlet for eyeglasses, and a small
pocket for a women's siddur ot psalmistry. Loose fitting zouave pants or a wrap
around skirt with matching designs and colors could finish out the ensemble.
 
This personalized scarf was presented to our close friend. It is Indian
cotton tinted and "yazmah" printed with blocks postive and negative with her name
interspersed with traditional pomegranate designs in fall colors of rust, olive,
pumpkin, and biege.
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