Bet Am Shalom’s 19th Annual Judaica Craft Show
White Plains’ Bet Am Shalom Synagogue will hold its 19th Annual Judaica Craft Show November 10 and 11 with 50 featured artists, 23 traveling from Israel just for the show, and 14 new artists who have not exhibited in White Plains previously.
Ann Schaffer, chairperson for the event, is also a co-founder of the show. In a recent interview with The White Plains Examiner, Schaffer said she has always loved craft and fine art and when a friend approached her about doing a Judaica show in Westchester, she thought: “Why not.”
“We didn’t know where to begin,” Schaffer explained. “There was a similar show in New York City, so we asked them for help, which they gave, and for a few years we co-existed.” The New York City event was held just before Hanukkah, with White Plains scheduled before Passover. “That way there was no competition,” Schaffer explained.
Today, the Bet Am Shalom show is the only major Judaica craft event in the region and is held before Hanukkah each year.
Because the show is juried many artists apply, but there is room for only 50 booths, making the selection process difficult, but the quality of the art very high.
Daniel Belasco, curator for The Jewish Museum, Laura Kruger, curator for Hebrew Union College, and Sharon Minta, curator for Jewish Theological Seminary have been jury members for several years. They select artists and their art based on the spiritual, communal and historical aspects of the objects as they relate to Jewish ritual.
“The artists movement in contemporary crafts has spilled over into Judaica,” explained Schaffer, creating a new level of art objects for use in the Jewish home.
Because most Jewish ritual takes place in the home the principle of hiddur mitzvah (beautifying the pious action) is applied to ritual items so the beauty of the object can be enhanced, thereby enhancing the beauty and meaning of the act itself and acting as a reminder that God is always present in the world.
Hand-washing before meals, for example, is enhanced by use of a special pitcher, bowl and towel.
For the artists selected, 20 percent of the work they show can be non-Judaica. Prices are listed on every item and a 20 percent commission is paid to the synagogue. At each show, the 50th booth is made available for free to a charitable organization and no commission is charged for the items sold.
There is a café on site with delicious and appropriate food items cooked on the synagogue premises.
At Bet Am Shalom about 230 members volunteer to make the show a special event. Of that group a core of 30 people handle the essential elements.
“We have created a community,” Schaffer said. “We treat the artists as family, sharing meals and ceremony together.”
There is an eight dollar entry fee and a one-dollar voucher can be found at www.betamshalom.org. Directions can also be found on the website.
Bet Am Shalom Synagogue is located at 295 Soundview Avenue, White Plains. The Judaica Craft Show is open Saturday, November 10 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday, November 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
