Chai חי

It has taken me quite some time to feel like sharing a piece of my artwork here. Whilst I never totally stopped creating after my youngest son died, it somehow didn't feel right sharing the pieces here. I didn't want my readers to think that everything was back to normal. Nothing is back to normal in my life and, with Gadi gone, it never will be. However, Gadi was a creative soul. He was the one I went to when I needed an opinion about something or if I wanted to check a colour or face resemblance. I really feel that he would want me to carry on with my art and this piece, created for a customer in the US who kindly reached out to me because she wanted to support an Israeli artist in these difficult times, seems exactly the right piece to re-start my sharing here. Chai (חי), which is pronounced as if you were saying "hi" in English, is a Hebrew word and symbol that means "life".

Chai is spelt with the Hebrew letters Het (ח) and Yud (י). The Hebrew letters of the word are often used as a visual symbol, frequently appearing on pendants and other jewellery. Chai also refers to the number 18. According to the gematria, which is a mystical tradition that assigns a numerological value to Hebrew letters, the letters Het (ח) and Yud (י) add up to the number 18. The Het has a value of 8 and the Yud has a value of 10. As a result, 18 is a popular number that represents good luck. At weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events Jewish people often give gifts of money in multiples of 18, symbolically giving the recipient the gift of "life" or luck.

In Hebrew, chai is often referred to in the plural form, chaim (חיים), hence the boy's name Chaim and the toast l’chaim (לחיים), which, as anyone who has seen Fiddler on the Roof knows, means "to life." 

Chai is heard in a BBC recording from 20th April 1945 of Jewish survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp five days after their liberation. This was the first Sabbath ceremony openly conducted on German soil since the beginning of the war. With people still dying around them, the survivors sang what would become the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikvah", "The Hope". At the end of "Hatikvah", British Army Chaplain Leslie Hardman shouts out, Am Yisra'el Chai! ("The people of Israel live!").

In the 1983 Eurovision Song Contest, which was held in Germany four decades after the Holocaust, Israel was represented with the song "Chai", performed by the Israeli singer, songwriter and actress Ofra Haza. The lyrics "Alive, alive, alive. Yes, I'm still alive" sadly resonate to this day. 

Should you be interested in purchasing a Chai papercut, just leave me a comment or use the email me button on the right hand side, below my social media buttons. Please be sure to note which colour backing paper you would like.

This particular papercut fits into a standard 8" x 10" frame with a mat opening of 4.5" x 6.5", though the size can be adjusted. You will receive this papercut UNFRAMED. The Chai papercut costs $40 + postage and packing.

* This post has been shared on Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Little Things Thursday and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).

Jonathan and Ori

A customer requested a card for his nephew's Bar Mitzvah. Jonathan, the Bar Mitzvah boy, likes Marvel Comics, science fiction, history, Lego, sports and movies. He also enjoys his Jewish studies classes, and wants to be a movie director when he grows up.

I tried to include as much as I could on his card. The tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) and Magen David (Star of David) in the centre of the card represent his Jewish faith. Moving clockwise, they are surrounded by a Marvel Comic cover, a baseball bat and glove, a history book, a director's chair and clapperboard, and finally, some Lego pieces. A big red number 13, the age when Jewish boys become Bar Mitzvah, completes the card.

Ori recently joined the Israeli army, as all 18 year olds do, for his compulsory military service. His Mum asked me to create a Good Luck card for him showing him wearing his olive green uniform and green beret. Each corps in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has a beret of a different colour. The soldiers only wear them on their heads on formal occasions, such as ceremonies and roll calls. Usually the beret is placed beneath the left shoulder strap while wearing the service uniform, though it is not worn while wearing the combat/work uniform in the field.
I have shown Ori with a gun in his hands. His black leather boots, which most IDF soldiers are issued (some units issue reddish-brown leather boots for historical reasons) are next to him, and the badge of the unit he was joining is featured too.

Something to Treasure

Anna and Udi got married quite some months ago but even after their special event my customer wanted a wedding card for them - something that they could treasure - just as she had ordered for the groom's brother. My customer sent me a beautiful photograph of the couple taken on their wedding day in the scenic location of Yemin Moshe. I copied the bride's delicate dress as closely as possible and crafted a dark suit similar to the one the groom wore. In the background I added colours which reflect the Jerusalem stone buildings, blue skies and pink bougainvillea seen in abundance in Yemin Moshe.

My lovely customer and friend wrote "It's wonderful! They're going to love it! Thank you for another great creation!"

Rebecca was turning 16.  Apparently she is going to be starting a course to become a make-up artist, so it was decided that make-up should be the theme of her birthday card.  I created a card on that theme for her last year, so this year I made the focus more about applying make-up, and less about the products. I added some purple lipstick and nail polish for good measure!

The same customer wanted a card for another niece, Sophie. She was soon to be celebrating her 18th birthday and my customer wanted a card similar to the one I did for Sophie's cousin, Emily. She specifically asked for the number 18 to be in the middle of the card with the words חי – Chai in Hebrew and in English next it. I'll explain the relevance of it again. Chai, which is pronounced as if you were saying "hi" in English, is a Hebrew word and symbol that means "life." It is spelt with the Hebrew letters Het (ח) and Yud (י). According to the gematria, which is a mystical tradition that assigns a numerological value to Hebrew letters, the letters Het (ח) and Yud (י) add up to the number 18. The Het has a value of 8 and the yud has a value of 10. As a result, 18 is a popular number that represents good luck. At weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events Jewish people often give gifts of money in multiples of 18, symbolically giving the recipient the gift of "life" or luck.
Along with wishing her niece "Chai", good luck, my customer also wanted me to include many of her interests on the card. These include Disneyland Paris, where Sophie was going for her birthday celebration, baking utensils and cupcakes with "Sophie's Sweet Treats" written next to it (apparently she is a keen baker), a silver can of Diet Coke, the high-fashion retailer Topshop, Brent Cross Shopping Centre, and a laptop with the Internet video streaming service Netflix open on the screen.
There was a lot to fit in but I managed it.

Eden and Emily

Eden recently turned 15 and her Mum asked me to make a special card for her big day. Dance still had to be the theme of the card, Mum said, just like it has been several times before. (You can read the lovely story about one of the first cards I was commissioned to make for Eden here.) She goes to Hip-hop, jazz and modern dance classes - busy girl - but is also very studious and Mum wanted some school books to be on there too. Eden also regularly attends meetings of the NOAM youth movement (NOAM is an acronym for No'ar Masorti, Masorti Youth, a Zionist youth movement.) so I popped the movement's badge onto the card as well.

She looks pretty happy with it, doesn't she?

Emily was turning 18 and her auntie wanted a lot on her customised card! She specifically asked for the number 18 to be in the middle of the card with the words חי – Chai in Hebrew and in English next it. Chai, which is pronounced as if you were saying "hi" in English, is a Hebrew word and symbol that means "life." It is spelt with the Hebrew letters Het (ח) and Yud (י). According to the gematria, which is a mystical tradition that assigns a numerological value to Hebrew letters, the letters Het (ח) and Yud (י) add up to the number 18. The Het has a value of 8 and the yud has a value of 10. As a result, 18 is a popular number that represents good luck. At weddings, bar mitzvahs and other events Jewish people often give gifts of money in multiples of 18, symbolically giving the recipient the gift of "life" or luck.

Along with wishing her niece "Chai", good luck, my customer also wanted me to include many of her interests on the card. These include Netflix, the high-fashion retailer Topshop, Mac Cosmetics, Capital Radio, the television music competition The XFactor and sushi.
Phew! I think I got everything on there.

Proudly Serving in the IDF

The events of last summer reminded those of us here in Israel how much our army is needed. To maintain that army, from the age of 18 every Israeli male and female is required to serve three and two years, respectively, of compulsory military service. Many of our friends' children whom we have watched grow up are now proudly serving in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), and these last few weeks saw two more of them enter national service.

Gabi's parents asked me to create a Good Luck card for him, showing him in his olive green uniform and with a gun in his hands. The Hebrew letters צ.ה.ל, which stand for Tzva Hahagana LeYisra'el (literally "the Army of Defence for Israel") can be seen behind him. His black leather boots, which most IDF soldiers are issued (some units issue reddish-brown leather boots for historical reasons) are next to him. Each corps in the Israel Defence Forces has a beret of a different colour. The soldiers only wear them on their heads on formal occasions, such as ceremonies and roll calls. Usually the beret is placed beneath the left shoulder strap while wearing the service uniform, though it is not worn while wearing the combat/work uniform in the field. Gabi's green beret can be seen on his left shoulder.

Karin, below, also recently went in to the army. Israel is the one of only a few countries in the world, along with Norway and Eritrea, with a mandatory military service requirement for women. Women have taken part in Israel’s military before and since the founding of the state in 1948, and Karin's Grandma told me that Karin too was keen to play her part. I have shown her with a pale green beret on her card - Grandma thought that was the colour she was going to wear - and with some boots and her army military dog tag next to her. The badge of the Israel Defence Forces is to her left, whilst the flag of Israel is flying on her right. The Tzahal (צה״ל) Hebrew letters appear below her.

This large card was going to be signed by all of her extended family, but Grandma also wanted a second card just from her. For this smaller card I carefully cut out the words "Good Luck" and popped them on to a background of camouflage, a fabric often used in the military.