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Each item is crafted with collage, paint and ancient maps and drawings utilizing a technique called Potichomania, an 18th century art form using paper, paint in collage form under glass. "Potichomania" is also called in French « fixé sous verre » and was been very fashionable during the Victorian age. Using old or modern prints or drawings, paint or metalic leaf, the artist cuts out the papers and pastes them on the underside of a transparent surface, thus creating a design of its own.
Jacqueline has taken the art form further by incorporating items
found in nature as well, such as dried leaves, stems and grasses along with the prints of ancient maps and other documents.
Dreidels and Mezzuzahs
Yartzeit Candle Light Holders
How to Play Dreidel
Every player starts with an equal number of things (pieces of candy, pennies, etc.). Each player puts one of these in the POT. The dreidel is spun by one player at a time. Whether he wins or loses depends on which face of the dreidel is up when it falls: NUN means nisht (nothing) Player does nothing. Gimmel means gantz (all) Player takes everything in POT. HEY means halb (half) Player takes half of the POT. SHIN means shtel (put in) Player puts in two to the POT. When only one object or none is left in the POT every player adds one. When an odd number of objects are in the POT, the player rolling HEY (half) takes one more than half. When one person has won everything the game is over. Apart from the fun what could be better than a spinning top to suggest the shifting of the sun, the succession of the seasons, and the spinning of the earth on its axis?
Inspired by the outdoors, are new designs for these stunning mezuzahs incorporating pine needles, ferns and other natural "finds". Each is unique, but all have see-through sides for viewing parchment and a weighted hinged lid for easy access. Kosher parchment not included, however each mezuzah comes with a lovely suggested prayer for recitation while affixing.
A Prayer for Affixing the Mezuzah
"Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King
of the Universe, who has kept us alive
and sustained us and permitted us to
reach this moment."
"Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King
of the Universe, who has sanctified us
with His commandments, commanding us
to affix the mezuzah."
Deuteronomy 6:9, 11:20:
"... inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
There is something extra special about Passover memories; they have those fuzzy, frayed-around-the-edges feeling, not unlike the handed down matzah cover, complete with decades'-old wine stains permanently ironed-in to be there forever. Probably they are the childhood memories of the great uncles with the funny Russian accents complete with their loose fitting dentures, secretly drinking the wine in Elijah's silver cup and then marveling that the prophet somehow found OUR SEDER to grace! Perhaps they include the silver dollar prize for finding the afikomen. How about the time your daddy, while loudly singing off key his favorite "Hadgadyah", looked down and smiled so big, just 'cause you were you? Maybe you can never look at yellow daffodils without remembering how you counted them in the cut glass vase over and over while you secretly wished they'd speed up the never-ending service so you could finally eat the delicacies Mamo (my name for my grandmother) had waiting in the kitchen... Passover. I call it the "Jewish Thanksgiving". Steeped in tradition, yet unique enough in each household, it unites us world-over with joy and warm memories. The best memories are from the long past, aren't they?
Fast forward to spring of 1998. My son, Duffy Goldman, is now an esteemed student at the Culinary Institute of America out in the wine country of California. He's visiting us for Passover this year and promised to show off some baking skills by making home-made matzah!
I get out my treasured (and autographed) copy of Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook to find her recipe for matzah. Ingredients: Flour. Water. Not bad. I bet Duffy can handle flour and water. How hard can that be? So together, we run-down over the recipe to get the whole thing into perspective.
Further reading Ms. Nathan's annotation regarding the oh-so strict procedures in preparing Passover matzah pierced our bubble: [...According to Jewish law, the mixing of the flour and water, the kneading on one side lest rising take place, the piercing of holes, and the baking must take no more than eighteen minutes from start to the emergence of the finished product from the oven...] OOOPS, now what do we do? How can we bend the rule without obliterating it? Oh, did I mention we're Reform? The Reform are a creative lot. Let's get creative... Let's see, hmm, eighteen minutes. Eighteen translates to life in Hebrew. It took two and a half hours to make all the matzah. That's 180 minutes. That's ten times life. We'll be ten for the Seder - ten lives. One eighteen minutes for each life at the Seder. Sounds like a logical compromise. God might approve. I feel happy again. Let's get this show on the road!
Now comes the Seder. The service is uniquely ours. My husband shares his old European childhood Haggadahs (the kind with the pop-out, twirling and sliding pictures) with everyone, drinks Elijah's wine when the kids aren't looking, etc., and now it's time for the matzah. Duff comes out with the plate - covered with that old, frayed, stained freshly ironed cover. He passes around some to all with much trepidation. Everyone is united in loud praise. It's delicious. We ended up eating the whole platter that evening. Not a crumb left!
The Seder was alive with it's own soul and I swear it's that gorgeous matzah that had made it so. There seemed to be a soft glow of satisfaction of a job well done emitting from Duff that night. Not to get all sappy or anything, but this was one of those moments that was right up there with the handing down of the Torah at a bar-mitzvah.
So here I am, months later, nearing the eve of Rosh Hashanah, recalling my new "old memories" of the Seder of '98". The sweetest of all, I think. I can't wait until next year, for the fresh spring rain and daffodils.
Next year we shall make some extra matzah and pound it into meal. We'll use it to make Fried Gefilte Fish Balls a popular version of traditional Passover fare my husband enjoyed growing up in England:
Ronnie Winch's Fried Gefilte Fish Recipe
For 18-20 balls:
3 lb. fish (use two varieties of any white flaky fish like cod and haddock)
1 large onion
3 T oil
3 t each of sugar and salt
3 eggs
6 T matzah meal
Skin and debone fish. Wash, sprinkle with salt then let drain for 15 minutes. Cut into chunks and chop in food processor. Hand mix with remaining ingredients. Shape into balls about the size of plums and roll in matzah crumbs. Let sit for crumbs to set about 1/2 hour. Heat 1 inch oil in heavy frying pan to about 375 degrees. Fry balls for about 8 minutes, turning as they brown all over. Lift out and drain on paper towels until dry. Serve cool (not ice cold) the next day with beet horseradish.
