A New Door Sign

My eldest son and his girlfriend needed a door sign for their student apartment. I decided to create a papercut sign for them, with their names, in Hebrew, in the centre. Of course I added my signature little bird as well.

I hand drew my design, which is made up of foliage and seed heads, then scanned the image and flipped it, before printing it on a piece of Textura Recycled Bright White Card.

I am sharing photos of the piece as I cut it and as their names emerged from the card.

Hila, my son's girlfriend, likes natural colours and seems to favour a pallet of cream and beige, so I backed the piece with a dark beige backing paper. It is mounted in a 13x18cm lightweight picture frame, which could easily be stuck to their front door.

Nadav and Hila were delighted with their new sign. They have since told me that every person who has seen it has complimented them on it!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

A Symbol of Growth and Hope

A new customer wrote to me to tell me that she loved my teacher gift papercut. "Would you be interested in doing another similar one?" she asked. Her daughter's teacher had really gone over and above this last academic year. My customer thought that a papercut would be the perfect thank you gift.

She wanted me to make one small change to my design. She wanted to know if I could replace the infinity symbol with some sort of "giving hands" symbol. After a short discussion we decided to show a hand holding a fresh young plant, a symbol of growth and hope.

The hand merged seamlessly into my design, blending well with the decorative flowers, leaves and vines. In the middle of the piece I cut out the word "Ha-Morah" (the teacher). My customer liked the idea of green for growth as the backing colour. I picked out this grass green paper and then framed the piece in a birch wood coloured frame.

The cherished teacher who received my papercut, who I happen to know, wrote to me. "As you know, I am the lucky recipient of one of your papercuts. It's beautiful."

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Tuesday Turn About

Theo Jonah

My sister's eldest daughter has two little girls, Lottie Ruby and Sadie Eve. I made each girl a personalised papercut picture for their bedrooms when they were born. So, when my sister's youngest daughter gave birth to a baby boy back in March, I decided to make a papercut picture for him too.

I created a piece which displays the baby's name, Theo Jonah, in the centre and his Hebrew name, Boaz Yonah, below it. His birth date and the time of his birth is at the top of the piece, whilst his birth weight is at the bottom. My previous papercuts had a bear and a fox on them. This time I added an elephant, a little bird and stars.

Many Jewish people observe the custom of giving their children both English and Hebrew first names - the former for everyday life, the latter for religious purposes. The Hebrew name is used when the child is called to read the Torah at their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, at their wedding, in the writing of a get (a Jewish bill of divorce), and for funeral ceremonies. Their use on these occasions is customary.

Theo's Hebrew name, Boaz, is a boy's name of Hebrew origin, translating to "strength." Boaz is a prominent figure in the Book of Ruth, with Boaz being the second husband of Ruth. Boaz had a reputation for extending a special kindness to Ruth, ensuring that she was protected and well-treated.

The name Yonah derives from the Hebrew word "Yonah," meaning "dove," sharing ties with the prophet Jonah, who was a leading figure in the Book of Jonah. As legend has it, Jonah was swallowed by a whale, after G-d caused his ship to sink, and then was tossed up onto dry land after three days and nights. Sailors traditionally use the name Jonah to personify someone who brings bad luck but, in this case, Yonah will be known as Jonah in English, after my dear mum Joan.

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things.

Am Yisrael Chai - The People of Israel Live

Am Yisrael Chai translates in English to mean "The People of Israel Live". It is a widely used cry of defiance, expressing the pride and solidarity of the Jewish people, especially during times of war and heightened antisemitism. My latest papercut, drawn and cut by hand from a single sheet of Textura Recycled Bright White Card, has the popular phrase in Hebrew in the centre of the piece. It is embellished with a Star of David, a dove, pomegranates and flowers. Buildings similar to those found in the Old City of Jerusalem can be seen at the bottom of the piece.

The phrase Am Yisrael Chai gained popularity during the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, when rabbi and songwriter Shlomo Carlebach, who was already popular for his melodies put to Hebrew prayers, composed the song for the movement's 1965 solidarity rally in New York City.
The song's lyrics are derived from a story in the Book of Genesis in which Joseph, having revealed himself to his brothers, asks if their father is still alive (Hebrew: הַעוֹד אָבִי חַי). Carlebach added the words Am Yisrael Chai and, for the song's refrain, changed the words "is my father still alive" to "our father still lives" (Hebrew: עוֹד אָבִינוּ חַי).

One of the earliest references to Am Yisrael Chai was at the Second World Jewish Conference in 1933, summoned to fight Hitler's new Nazi regime through economic boycott. Rabbi Stephen Samuel Wise, the reform rabbi and Zionist leader, ended the final address by declaring to the crowd:

"We are prepared to defend ourselves against the will of Hitler Germany to destroy. We must defend ourselves because we are a people which lives and wishes to live. My last word that I wish to speak to you is this - our people lives - Am Yisrael chai!"
On 20th April 1945, five days after the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated, British Army chaplain Rabbi Leslie Hardman led a Friday evening Shabbat service for a few hundred survivors at the camp. Knowing the service was being recorded by the BBC radio service, he proclaimed Am Yisrael Chai, "The people of Israel live" at the conclusion of the service, after singing Hatikvah, now the national anthem of the State of Israel.

Am Yisrael Chai was sung during the Six Day War and at the end of the Yom Kippur War. In 1983 Ofra Haza, the Israeli singer, songwriter and actress, represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Chai" ("Alive"). The words Am Yisrael Chai were part of the chorus. In 2009, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inscribed the words Am Yisrael Chai in the guestbook of the Wannsee Villa in Berlin.

After an Israeli court rendered a guilty verdict for John Demjanjuk in 1986, two songs were sung outside the courthouse: Ani Ma'amin, "I believe", which was sung in concentration camps, and Am Yisrael Chai.

Today Am Yisrael Chai is often used by Jewish people around the world to express support and solidarity with Israel, especially now during the Israel-Hamas war.

If you would like to order my Am Yisrael 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. The papercut costs $75 + postage and packing. It fits into a square 23x23cm frame (or a larger frame with a mount). You will receive this papercut UNFRAMED.

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Farmhouse Friday.