Camp Airy

A couple of weeks ago Gary traveled to Camp Airy for a special Hiddur Mitzvah Project. This excerpt from the camp newsletter describes this great program.

"...In addition, as part of our camp’s continuing mission to instill Jewish values into the young men and women at Camps Airy and Louise, our campers this year participated in a Mitzvah project by creating mezuzot that will be affixed to the doors of our new bunks. With the help of internationally recognized artist and sculptor Gary Rosenthal (www.collectgaryrosenthal.com), our campers fashioned the beautiful fused glass mosaics that have been transformed into dazzling mezuzot, many of which will be placed on each of our twenty new bunks.

In fact, our campers did such a nice job at making the glass that there was a lot of glass left over after the twenty new mezuzot for the bunks were made. Gary has very generously fashioned many additional pieces of Judaica for Camp Airy that gives us the opportunity to enhance the original mitzvah. These pieces include Shabbat candlesticks, Chanukah menorahs and dreidels, a unique vertical seder plate, mezuzot, and tzedukah boxes.

As you may know, many campers at Camps Airy and Louise are able to have a summer camp experience because of generous donations that are made throughout the year to our “Campership Fund”. We would like to encourage all families who have the means to consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Camp Airy Campership Fund. In appreciation of your generous donation, we will be able to recognize your thoughtfulness with a one of kind piece of artwork because the glasswork was “touched by our campers”.

In addition, we would also like to invite you to dedicate one of the bunk mezuzot. A permanent commemorative plaque will be placed alongside each mezuzah in order to recognize your thoughtfulness. Again, all funds go directly into our Campership Fund.

Thank you so much in advance for participating in this worthwhile endeavor. Because of your help, another camper will be able to join the Camp Airy family and enjoy the same positive growing experience that your son has experienced over the past few weeks."

Gary talks with the campers while they put together glass mosaics

A Special Repair

We stand behind our work at the Gary Rosenthal Collection and will repair or replace any broken item. Shoshana Kroll writes to tell us how much she appreciated us repairing her special Yad.

"Dear Mr. Rosenthal:
When I became an adult Bat Mitzvah in 1995, my mother-in-law gave me a beautiful left-handed Rosenthal yad. I was in awe of the fact that, not only did I have my own yad and it was so exquisite, but that it was for a lefty!!! I used it on that special day; it gave me courage and brought me peace. I read with it every time I was blessed with a Torah reading. Then part of the glass broke off and I put it away, vowing to fix it somehow.
When I read from the Torah without my special yad, the experience did not feel as fulfilling; I was definitely missing my yad. It was such a special gift and held so much meaning for me. One day, I mentioned it to my friends, Mike and Sue Shapiro, who own Shapiro Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida and Sautee, Georgia. They offered to take care of it. They sent it back to you and you fixed it for me. This is a belated "Todah rabah." I love it; the blue piece you attached is beautiful. It feels so wonderful to have my yad with me once again as I am reading from Torah. My mother-in-law has since passed on but when my yad is with me, Jule is with me. I actually collect Judaica and have several other pieces of yours in my home. Thank you for sharing your wonderful creativity with us in such a meaningful way.....Shoshana Kroll."

Jewish Gift Place Celebrates Two Years of Selling Judaica

One of our larger online stores, Jewishgiftplace.com is celebrating two years of successful business. You can read all about the site and it's founder, Risa Borsykowsky, in the following press release. We're always glad to hear that stores who sell our work are doing well!

Official press release via PR Web

Art Tzedakah Box $1,000 Grant Awarded!

A little while ago I spoke about some new Tzedakah grants and contests that the GRC is sponsoring. I'm excited to report that we have awarded the $1,000 top grant to a worthy cause. B'nai Torah of Boca Raton's article below explains what they've been up to. Also, though the $1,000 has been awarded, we are still looking for more people to give money away to! Check out the page here for more information.

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As described below, the box project that originated at B’nai Torah to raise funds to alleviate homelessness will soon be replicated nationwide at churches, synagogues, mosques and secular organizations. Under the auspices of the National Coalition for the Homeless, hundreds of thousands of families will be participating in the re‐named Bring America Home project. If you know of any corporation or foundation that might be interested in sponsoring this project, please contact Mark. Sponsoring organizations will be acknowledged on the boxes andthe box website.

From B’nai Torah to the US to Israel
When Tobi and I pack our bags this weekend for our trip to Israel, we will be including an unusual item: this take-out food box. The box is not intended to hold our dinner but rather gelt.

It is an example of the tzedakah boxes our Mirochnick Religious School and Ruth and Edward Taubman Early Childhood Center students made to look like houses. In December, the students took the boxes home and with their families deposited their loose change. At the end of the school year, students brought the boxes back for a communal contribution from B’nai Torah to Family Promise of South Palm Beach County.

Over $1,200 was raised from those pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Equally important, our students and their families were actively engaged in the miztvah of helping homeless families.

Family Promise Coordinators Mike Diamant (left) and Mark Wasserman presented a check for over $1,200 to Reverend Kathleen Gannon, member of the Board of Directors of Family Promise of South Palm Beach County.Mike recently joined the Board.

To see our students and their creations, go here.

National Recognition
Our box project has gotten national attention.
• We just won the top prize of $1,000 in a tzedakah box contest sponsored by the Gary RosenthalCollection. The contest challenge was to create a box that relates to a charity that will benefit from the proceeds of the funds collected in the box. Our house box for the homeless was just what they were looking for. The Gary Rosenthal Collection is one of the most popular lines of
Judaic sculpture in the country. Work from the Gary Rosenthal Collection can be found at the B’nai Torah Sisterhood Gift Shop and at www.collectgaryrosenthal.com Per the contest, this fall we will use $500 of this award to commission a local artist to work with our students to create unique house‐like tzedakah boxes.

• The box project that started at B’nai Torah is now going to be launched nationwide this August under the auspices of the National Coalition for the Homeless. Soon any
organization -- be it a church, synagogue, mosque, school, homeless shelter or secular group -- will be able to help the homeless in their community by decorating and filling their own boxes.

• The box project was the brainchild of our Family Promise Coordinator, Mark
Wasserman, who literally was “thinking outside the box” when he came up with this idea.

Going International

In Israel, I will be talking with friends and leaders about this innovative approach that fulfills the exhortation of the Prophet Isaiah to feed the hungry and house the homeless. Maybe our innovative project will be replicated in Israel as well as across our country.

Learn More
For more information about Family Promise and the box project, contact our Family Promise Coordinator, Mark Wasserman at markwboca@gmail.com or at (561) 699‐5116.
Have a wonderful summer.
Rabbi David Steinhardt

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.