Libi, Benjo and Galia

A customer asked me if I was available to make a birthday card for her daughter, Libi, who was turning 22 in November. She sent me a recent photo of Libi, along with a picture of Polaris, a program she developed, and her favourite game, Hitster, a party game where players arrange music cards with QR codes on a timeline in chronological order. She also showed me some little yellow and pink duck soaps Libi had made.

The card I created showed Libi holding the little duck soaps in each hand. The game and program she developed are behind her.

"It's amazing. Thank you!" mum wrote to me.

Last year, when Benjo turned 13, I made him a Bar Mitzvah album showing him wearing tefillin (phylacteries). This year mum asked me to make him a 14th birthday card with his computer and the image of a product called SwiftBreak in the background.

I decided to show him working on his Mac laptop, and added the image of SwiftBreak and a big number 14 to the card.

"Thank you so much for the perfect card! It looks just like him! You're amazing!" mum said.

Finally, Galia, a medical student, was going to be starting rotations in a hospital. Hospital rotations are hands-on, supervised work assignments in different medical departments (like surgery, pediatrics, or internal medicine) that medical students complete to gain practical experience in various specialties.

Galia's mum asked me to make her a birthday card with a stethoscope, a white coat and the logo of the Shamir Medical Center, a major hospital in Israel, on it.
Shamir Medical Center used to be known as Asaf Harofeh Medical Center. It was renamed in April 2017. The change occurred after the Israeli government decided to rename the hospital after former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. Asaf Harofeh was an ancient Jewish physician who likely lived between the 6th and 10th centuries in Israel. He is credited as the author or co-author of the Sefer Refuot (Book of Medicines). The text contains the first known Hebrew medical oath, similar to the Hippocratic Oath.

Mum was delighted with the card. "Great card, thanks so much." she wrote to me, then sent me some lovely photos of Galia's "white coat" tekes (ceremony), when the medical students all got their white coats and stethoscopes before starting rotations in the hospital.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Craft Schooling Sunday, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Tuesday Turn About, Creatively Crafty Linky Party and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Birthday Cards for Two Young Men in Uniform

I'm sharing the cards I created for these young soldiers on their 19th birthday, but I've removed their names for obvious reasons. For their safety and security, I can't say much about them without revealing too much. What I can share is that their mum asked me to include the badge, coloured beret, boots and weapon from each of the corps they currently serve in. The turquoise beret belongs to the Israeli Artillery Corps, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) corps responsible for operating medium and long-range artillery.

I'm happy to report that the cards were very well received.

In Israel, military service is simply part of growing up. At 18, Jewish, Druze, and Circassian boys and girls are called up to serve - approximately three years for the boys and two for the girls - while Arab citizens of Israel are not conscripted. There are, of course, exceptions based on health, religious reasons, or other personal circumstances, and each teenager undergoes a full day of tests and interviews known as the Tzav Rishon, the "first draft notice". It is an important moment, the first real step into the world of the IDF.

Following that, every recruit receives a medical profile, which determines where they'll serve. Those with the highest profiles head to the combat units - the infantry brigades, combat intelligence, or engineering. Others are placed in roles like the Armoured Corps, Artillery, Military Police, or Border Police. And many more serve in essential support roles: logistics, adjutant corps, ordnance and all the behind-the-scenes jobs that keep the army running day and night.

Every so often, the question of compulsory service returns to the public debate - should Israel keep the draft or move to an all-volunteer army? In recent months, the issue has become even more heated, especially with growing public pressure on the Haredi community (ultra-Orthodox Jews), who are largely exempt from military service. Their ongoing fight to maintain these exemptions has added yet another layer to the national discussion - one that stirs strong feelings on all sides.
It's a conversation that never really goes away. But for now, with the continued need for a strong and sizeable military, most Israeli families still find themselves standing at induction bases, hugging their 18-year-olds tight. There's enormous pride in that moment, mixed with the very real flutter of fear that comes with letting them go.

* This post has been shared on Dare to Share, Saturday Sparks Link Party, Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Halel & Yishai

Wishing you all a happy new year!
Halel and Yishai were married in October. Shortly afterwards, Yishai's mum reached out to ask if I could create a special card for them based on their wedding photos. She also requested that I include the couple's dog, Polly, even though she wasn't actually at the wedding!

I decided to show the young couple under the chuppah, the canopy used in Jewish wedding ceremonies. It consists of a cloth or fabric covering, often beautifully decorated, supported by four poles.
The chuppah symbolizes the couple's new home together - open on all sides to represent hospitality and the welcoming of family and friends. The couple stands under the chuppah during the wedding ceremony, and many key rituals take place there, such as the giving of the ring and the recitation of blessings.

I depicted Halel in her exact wedding dress and carefully recreated Yishai's pale grey suit, making sure to include the bride's gold necklace and the groom's silver earring. Polly is nestled between them.
Yishai's mum sent me the lovely picture of them all holding the card, second image from the top, writing, "They love it!"

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Inspire Me Monday, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.