Happy to be of Service

 We are regularly asked to create custom commission pieces such as Tzedakah boxes for Synagogues, or Mezuzot for sanctuary doors.  We're always glad to hear back from the recipients of these special items, especially when they are as positive as this:

I just wanted to let you know that I received the box and it is just AMAZING!!!  Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!  We are so happy with the finished product! I am so excited for the kids to see it this Friday when we are going to have them present it to the Temple Brith Achim congregation during the Religious School Welcome Back service!  Your work is absolutely beautiful and we are proud to be giving this gift to the congregation from our confirmation class.  We have a terrific, visible place picked out for it in a niche next to the sanctuary doors.  Thanks for everything and it was a pleasure working with you!!

Do you need any custom artwork?  Check out a few of the things we have done in the past and let us know what we can do for you!

A Woman of Valor Sculpture

To create this commissioned work we modified a Seder Plate design with branches instead, and added the the poem inscribed on the glass: 

A woman of valor

who can find?

For her price is far above rubies.

Strength and dignity are her clothing;

And she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom;

And the law of kindness is on her tongue.

A Giant Custom Mezuzah

Just a quick post here, I wanted to share a photo of a recent commission we did.  This is not your standard door sized mezuzah - this commissioned piece stands 14" tall!

Another Braille Mezuzah

I posted a while back about a really cool Braille mezuzah we had been commissioned to make.  In the summer of 2009, a new building for the Association for the Blind was being completed and nearing dedication.  One of the major donors for the project was a Jewish couple.  As a recognition to their efforts and as a way to represent the building’s connection with the Jewish community, a representative from the local JCC Judaica shop contacted the Gary Rosenthal Collection with a proposition.  She wanted to know if it would be possible for us to create a Braille mezuzah.

We did create one for them.  It was a wonderful piece and much appreciated.  After experimenting with the method used - and finding new uses for it as well - the design has been refined and this new piece has been created, available for anyone who may be in need of this type of special piece.

If you are interested in this, or other Braille artwork, feel free to contact us at 301.493.5577.

The World's Largest Seder Plate?

Gary and team have created what may very well be the world's largest Seder plate.  I know I've never seen one this big, have you?  This magnificent beast is a replica of our SP18, stands over two and a half feet tall and is almost four and a half feet wide.  Made from steel, brass, and copper it holds six glass dishes on top and has a two sided glass pyramid in the center, screened with 24kt gold.  Not only does it look great, it visually tells the story of Passover, representing the parting of the red sea, the pyramids, and the ten commandments.

Gary created this stunning piece with caterers, hotels, and cruise ships in mind - when holding a large Passover Seder, a large Seder plate makes the perfect centerpiece.  If you are interested in purchasing this, or similar custom works, give us a call at 301.493.5577.

Tu Bishvat

Tu Bishvat is a lesser known holiday, celebrated this year at sundown on January 29.  A celebration of the "New Year of the trees," it is customary to have a seder when observing it.  This Seder is much different than the Passover Seder, featuring dried fruits and nuts along with four glasses of wine.  It can be described as the Jewish Arbor Day. 

We just recently had a request for a special Tu Bishvat Seder Plate, something we've never done before.  The requirements were that it the seven required dishes as well as places for the four glasses of wine and that it represented a tree in the spirit of the holiday.  Gary and his designers came up with this masterpiece:

A Custom Tzedakah Box for Jewish Center of Princeton

Gary recently held a Hiddur Mitzvah event at the Jewish Center of Princeton.  In addition to the event, Gary presented to the center a tzedakah box that was commissioned to kick off the center's 60th anniversary.  A nice article about the event can be read here in the New Jersey Jewish News.

After presenting the box it was brought back to the studio along with glass sheets that the Hiddur Mitzvah participants worked together to make.  These were fired in the kilns and incorporated into the box.  This piece is designed in a way that it incorporates six separate boxes into one - each having a glass plaque showing what the money collected in that box will be used for.  It's a unique design and turned out rather spectacularly as shown by the photos below:

 

New Orleans Starburst

Just a quick note here, I wanted to share a pretty neat piece of work we just recently did for the New Orleans Jewish Day School. This steel, brass, glass and screened 24kt gold wall sculpture is an impressive 3-4 foot wide version of their logo and will be used for their donor wall.

New Orleans Streetcar Tzedakah Box Update

A little while about I wrote about the special NOLA Tzedakah Box commission we created. I'd like to mention that for whoever wants a spectacular Trolley Tzedakah Box that helps support a good cause, they're now available for sale! Click the image below for more details.

A Very Special Trolley Car

Nearly a year in the making, The Gary Rosenthal Collection recently completed one of the most involved commissions we've had. This special Tzedakah Box is created in the likeness of New Orleans’ famous trolley cars. This piece was commissioned by a member of the New Orleans Jewish community to thank those many friends of New Orleans who have contributed their time, energy, and financial resources to rebuild the community. A total of 80 red, 80 blue, and a special large version were created. Each Tzedakah Box was signed and numbered by Gary. When all was said and done, everyone here at the GRC was involved in one way or another in this exciting project.