Temple Ahavat Shalom Jubilee Gala – "Windws on the Bima"

We had a spectacular time last time at the Temple Ahavat Shalom Jubilee Gala, celebrating the first 50 years of our existence as a kehillah kedoshah – a holy community. To mark the occasion I created "Windows on the Bima" – a papercut in two seaprately-framed parts inspired by the stained glass windows in our sanctuary on either side of the ark — the pillars of fire which protected and guided the Hebrews on their journey to the land of Israel.

Windows on the Bima (Left)
12" x 36"
Mixed media
2016

Windows on the Bima (Right)
12" x 36"
Mixed media
2016

The papercuts are from the perspective of a member of the congregation, looking up at the ark, during a moment of a prayer —  for this is a moment when the community stands together, with a unified purpose and intent.

Detail of one of the eight sections in "Windows on the Bima."

Made of cut-up comics, the papercuts feature heroes representing the ideals of the synagogue; within the flames can be found Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, Captain America, The Flash, Thor, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and more. Inspiring words from these comics are scattered throughout as well, representing the peace and love found within this community. And of course, there are a few instances of the number “50” and some comics from 1965, when Temple Ahavat Shalom was founded.

Includes:

Action Comics #844 (Dec 2006)
Amazing Spider-Man King-Size Special #4 (1967)
Astonishing X-Men #12 (Aug 2005)
Captain America #336 (Dec 1987)
DC Comics Presents #32 (Apr 1981)
Fantastic Four #8 (July 2013)
The Flash #152 (May 1965); #1 (Jun 2010)
Grayson #5 (Feb 2015)
Green Arrow #50 (Jul 2005)
Marvel Team-Up #60 (Apr 1984)
Marvel Two-in-One #59 (Jan 1980)
The Mighty Thor #374 (Dec 1983)
The Phantom #10 (Feb 1965)
Superman #3 (May 1987)
Ultimate Avengers #13 (Oct 2010)
Wonder Woman #603 (Nov 2010)

The original was auctioned off at the gala, and we produced a limited edition of 20 signed, numbered prints to raise additional money to support the activities of the synagogue.

Pillars of Fire at Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala

Two weeks to go until the annual gala at Temple Ahavat Shalom, and I'm nearly done with the TWO BIG PIECES I'm creating for the fund-raising auction. They're based on the stained glass windows in the sanctuary, and they are going to be great – so here's a teaser image to whet your appetite.

Details on the gala – including ticket info a phone number if you're curious about the auction items – are right here: http://www.tasnorthridge.org/gala-2016

"Rise Up"

This is my newest papercut, "Rise Up" (click it to see it bigger), which I unveiled last night at the annual Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala and auctioned off LIVE to raise money for the synagogue community. My wife and I were proud the be honorees at the gala, the theme of which was "The Art of Jewish Living." Our thanks go out to everyone who contributed and supported us and the community!

"Rise Up" presents the figure of Bezalel standing in front of the parted curtains of the mishkan, revealing the ark and ner tamid of Temple Ahavat Shalom within. Its title comes from a speech bubble in Bezalel’s cloak: “Simply rise up to the task at hand,” reflecting the choice that each person must make to contribute to the building of a community.

A FEW MORE LIMITED EDITION SIGNED, NUMBERED GICLEE PRINTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE – CALL AARON SOLOMON AT TEMPLE AHAVAT SHALOM AT 818-360-2258 TO ORDER YOURS TODAY! (ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE TEMPLE)

In the Book of Shemot (Exodus) we read that Bezalel has been named by God to build the mishkan — the desert tabernacle which houses the tablets Moses received on Mount Sinai. The name “Bezalel” means “in the shadow of God,” and it is written that God granted him skill in all of the arts in order to design and build the mishkan — but he was not solely responsible for its construction. We are told that all of the Israelites — each member of the community — contributed what they could: their goods, their talents, their commitment to the community’s goals. In "Rise Up," Bezalel represents each individual Israelite then and now, coming together in a kehillah kedoshah — a sacred community.

Midrash tells us that God showed Bezalel a heavenly model for the mishkan, which Bezalel represented in his plans; the blueprints he holds in this papercut reflect the movement of planets and heavenly bodies in the skies. Bezalel’s hammer and his clothing are constructed of cut-up Thor comics; just as the person who can lift Thor’s hammer is deemed worthy to control its power, so too does the person who commits to picking up a hammer (or any gift) in service of the community find the power to help; it is the choice to rise up and serve that gives one the power to do so.

The blue, purple and crimson of this papercut match the colors of the mishkan as described in Shemot 36:35-37, while at the same time, the brown wood of the ark and jagged lines of the ner tamid (eternal light) are modeled on the sanctuary at Temple Ahavat Shalom. There are speech bubbles and panels throughout the piece, hinting at more midrash. The bit of green grid in the blueprints comes from a Green Lantern comic; John Stewart was an architect when gifted with the green will-powered ring, and many of the creations he built with it to protect and defend others reflected his original calling.

The background comics include:

• All-Star Western #3 (January 2012)
• Automatic Kafka #1 (September 2002)
• Batman #23.3 (November 2013)
• Buck Rogers #2 (July 2009)
• Daredevil #49 (September 2003)
• Etc.: Book One (1989)
• FF #1 (April 2014)
• Green Lantern #165 (June 1983)
• Justice League of America #7.3 (November 2013)
• The Names #3 (January 2015)
• Promethea: Book Five (2005)
• Revival #16 (December 2013)
• Secret #1 (May 2012)
• Shazam! Power of Hope (November 2000)
• Silver Surfer #9 (August 2015)
• Superman Unchained #9 (January 2015)
• Thor #395 (September 1988), #616 (December 2010), #615 (November 2010), #619 (March 2011)
• Thor #2 (October 2007), #6 (February 2008)
• Astonishing Thor #1 (January 2011)

"Rise Up" — Teaser #4

This is the last "teaser" I'll be posting from my new piece, "Rise Up." This weekend is the big unveiling at the 2015 Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala. This year's gala is honoring me and my wife – the theme is "The Art of Jewish Living" – and to mark the occasion I created this papercut, which will be auctioned off (with all proceeds going to the synagogue) Saturday night at the gala.

I've let slip with a few details here – but if you want to see the whole thing you have to wait until the gala (or after, if you're not attending, of course)

I've already written about the origin of the papercut's name, and we've seen that there's a figure holding blueprints and a hammer. Here we get a little bit more text from a Torah commentary that could just about give it away... and another comic caption which reads, "Some things are beautiful, wonderful."

"Rise Up" — Teaser #3

This is "teaser" #3 from my new piece, "Rise Up," leading up to a big unveiling this weekend at the 2015 Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala. This year's gala is honoring me and my wife – the theme is "The Art of Jewish Living" – and to mark the occasion I created this papercut, which will be auctioned off (with all proceeds going to the synagogue) Saturday night at the gala.

I'll let slip with a few details here – but you won't see the whole thing until the gala (or after, if you're not attending, of course). There's one more teaser image that I'll be posting tomorrow – stop back tomorrow to see it.

I've already written about the origin of the papercut's name and showed that there's a figure holding blueprints... here's another key feature: a hammer. Made of cut-up Thor comics, of course (now you know why that tag has been in the past posts).

"Rise up" — Teaser #2

As promised, here's another "teasers" of my new piece, "Rise Up," leading up to a big unveiling this weekend at the 2015 Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala. This year's gala is honoring me and my wife – the theme is "The Art of Jewish Living" – and to mark the occasion I created this papercut, which will be auctioned off (with all proceeds going to the synagogue) Saturday night at the gala.

I'll let slip with a few details here – but you won't see the whole thing until the gala (or after, if you're not attending, of course). I'll be posting a teaser image each day this week – stop back again to see more.

My last post explained where the name of the papercut comes from – this little teaser square hints at the subject of the piece. Who could be holding those blueprints? And what are the blueprints for?

"Rise Up" — Teaser #1

I've got some "teasers" for you this week, leading up to a big unveiling this weekend at the 2015 Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala. This year's gala is honoring me and my wife – the theme is "The Art of Jewish Living" – and to mark the occasion I created a piece titled "Rise Up," which will be auctioned off (with all proceeds going to the synagogue) Saturday night at the gala.

I'll let slip with a few details here – but you won't see the whole thing until the gala (or after, if you're not attending, of course). I'll be posting three more of these teasers this week – stop back each day to see a new one.

For now, let me say that the papercut takes its name from one of the snippets in the teaser image above, which reads: "Simply rise up to the task at hand."

And All the Women Went

This is a new papercut titled "And All the Women Went" — a phrase taken from a scrap of a book incorporated into the background. It's a vision of the parting of the Sea of Reeds, with the sea pushed up into walls of water surrounding the children of Israel on their exodus from Egypt. The background also includes pieces of the following comics:

Wonder Woman
Unwritten
Echo
Revival
Moon Knight
Last of the Greats

I made this piece for the Temple Ahavat Shalom Sisterhood Luncheon this past weekend, where it was auctioned off to raise money for the sisterhood.

Three Things

I've made a new papercut to donate to this weekend's fundraising auction at the annual Temple Ahavat Shalom gala (Saturday, May 31, 2014).

In Pirkei Avot 1:18 we read, "Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel tells us that the world stands upon three things: truth, justice, and peace." This papercut takes as its inspiration the journeys of friendship and giving that have sustained Mindy & Dave and Debbie & Scott, being honored at this year's gala — the ideals that make them who they are, and their commitment to tikkun olam... to fixing the world that they see on their travels.

In this papercut the world is represented supported on a foundation of these three ideals, rendered in papercut Hebrew: emet, tzedek, and shalom. It is titled "Three things," and it's backed with cut-up comics including:

The Infinite Horizon (#5, Oct 2011)
The Infinite Vacation (#5, Jan 2013)
Batman/Superman (#8, Apr 2014)
Superman (#23.3, Nov 2013)
Wonder Woman (#23.2, Nov 2013)
Justice League Europe (#2, May 1989)
Nextwave (#1, 2006)

Details on the gala can be found on the web here. If you're interested in bidding in absentia, please email here or call (818) 360-2258.


Three things
16" x 20"
Mixed media
2014

Adam Greenberg and "Resilience"

Last night was the big event at Temple Ahavat Shalom; Adam Greenberg came and spoke for a couple of hours, and then spent time chatting with folks and signing stuff.

I sat with him and talked about "Resilience," and the meaning behind it, and he seemed very pleased. He shared with me that his perseverance is inspired by the history of the Jewish people, by our refusal to buckle under – by our tradition's lesson that we must not give up, no matter what stands in our way. He liked hearing about the parallels I drew between his story and that of Joseph, who overcomes a nearly constant barrage of obstacles and comes out on top.

He couldn't have the original – that was commissioned by a friend, and it's going to hang in his home – but Adam has print #10 of the limited edition, and I hope he enjoys it.

I still have a couple of giclée prints from the set available for purchase; only 12 were made, and they're archival ink on archival watercolor stock. Signed and numbered by me, and signed by Adam Greenberg as well. And a portion of the proceeds are being donated to Temple Ahavat Shalom, a non-profit organization. If you're interested, drop me an email.

"Resilience"

This is my latest completed commission: "Resilience."

You may not know the story of Adam Greenberg – and so a brief explanation is likely in order. He was an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs in 2005, known for being hit in the head on the first pitch of his only plate appearance. He was told he wouldn't play again – the injury was too severe, the pain unrelenting. He didn't get credit for that plate appearance, but determination and fan support encouraged the Miami Marlins to sign him to a one-day contract so he could get that "one at-bat" on the books, and so he did. He's playing again, thought not yet major league ball, but his story is one of perseverance and resilience – of not letting a bad situation take you down.

I made this papercut to represent that journey – and backed it with Wolverine comics, since he's the mutant hero known particularly for his healing power, allowing him to bounce back from injury and keep up the good fight. The structure of the piece is based on Greenberg's at-bat with the Marlins, and the rays are an allusion to the "one at-bat" poster his fans made and shared. Last, the broad spectrum of colors are a nod to Joseph, a biblical hero who also faced up to challenge after challenge, hurdle after hurdle, to make something of himself.

Adam Greenberg will be speaking live in Southern California at Temple Ahavat Shalom this October; for details on the event – where you can purchase one of only ten exclusive limited edition giclée prints of "Resilience" – click here. Or email me. That works too.

Doctrine of Law

This is "Doctrine of Law," a papercut I made for the silent auction at Temple Ahavat Shalom's gala this year. The gala and auction are being held this Sunday, June 2, and support temple activities throughout the year. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, or if you want more information about the auction, click here. A full list of auction items is available as a PDF.

"Doctrine of Law" is an exploration of the role of Torah – the "tree of life" – in our lives, in the past and present. I see Torah as a living document, one that must be read and reread and continuously interpreted and understood for each generation; the tree will always be an appropriate metaphor for Torah. It's backed with cut-up comics and a snippet from Ye That Thirst by David Hausdorff, published by Shulsinger Brothers in Brooklyn in 1940; that snippet is how this cut got its name.

Miriam's Well – Embrace the Possibilities

I'm very pleased to share with you a photo of my latest completed papercut — "Miriam's Well"— a commission celebrating and honoring the outgoing president at my synagogue, Temple Ahavat Shalom. It measures 26" x 40" and, as usual, features cut-up comics.

While the Jewish people wandered through the wilderness they were accompanied by a wondrous well which would provide water for them at every resting-place. God created this well for the sustenance of the Israelites in recognition of the merits of Miriam, which is how it gets its name. The well followed them on all their wanderings — and wherever they halted, it halted, too, settling in position opposite the Tabernacle. The leaders of the twelve tribes would appear and chant to it, “Spring up, o well,” and water would gush forth from its depths, and shoot up high as pillars, then discharge itself into great streams. These streams demarcated areas for each of the twelve tribes to camp in, and were so powerful that people were obliged to make use of ships to visit one another. The water led beyond the encampments, where it caused to grow every conceivable kind of plant and tree; and these trees, owing to the miraculous water, daily bore fresh fruits.

This president has dedicated her time a similar nurturing of the synagogue community (as well as the larger community), welling forth with tikkun olam and justice. Her leadership has sustained this community, and helped to create an environment in which everyone can “embrace the possibilities.”

The water of the well is backed with cut-up comic books featuring famed female comic book leaders and heroes, notably Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Batgirl. Within the swirls of color can be found speech bubbles that reflect on her presidency and her dedication to helping others.

The well is represented by the hint of a Torah scroll from a synagogue brochure, while the twelve spaces surrounding the well represent the twelve tribes, and are backed with cut-up temple materials. Above and below the well and the tribes are desert landscapes created from cut-up comics and photographic imagery of the desert in which the Israelites wandered.

"Shalom" print in auction to support Temple Ahavat Shalom

This is "Shalom," one of the 16 papercuts in my "Paper Tefillah" series. I've donated a giclée print of "Shalom" to the silent auction at this Sunday's Temple Ahavat Shalom Early Childhood Education Center luncheon.

It's a 16" x 20" signed giclée print (archival ink on archival watercolor stock, framed by me). "Shalom" represents the prayer for peace. The dove is a universal symbol for peace; likely because of its presence on Noah’s Ark. The dove in this papercut is in flight with wings unfurled, backed with comics featuring winged heroes who strive to bring peace and defend it, notably Angel from the X-Men, Hawkman, and Zauriel. Also contained within the wings of the dove are the Hebrew words of "Sim Shalom" and English prayers for peace.

It's a low-tech auction – if you want to bid, you've got to go the luncheon (Sunday, March 4, at Temple Ahavat Shalom); call 818 360 2258 for details.

"Ahavat Olam" in online auction to support Temple Ahavat Shalom

I've donated a signed, framed giclée print of my "Ahavat Olam" papercut to support the 2012 Temple Ahavat Shalom Gala auction. It's a 16x20 giclée print, and you can bid for it online right now; just follow this link.

"Ahavat Olam" is from my Paper Tefillah series, which features 16 papercuts that represent the major prayers of contemporary Jewish worship. It's a prayer about God's gift of Torah to the Jewish people, and I've represented it as the Etz Chaim (Tree of Life). The leaves and branches are Hebrew letters and the background is made up entirely of cut-up Superman comics and pieces from prayerbooks and a chumash that had been destined for ritual burial in the genizah.

More details -- and ONLINE BIDDING -- here. Bidding will continue at the gala at Temple Ahavat Shalom on Sunday, June 24 -- gala details here.

"Luachot HaBrit" papercut donated to support local synagogue luncheon

I've donated an original papercut titled "Luachot HaBrit" in support of the Temple Ahavat Shalom Early Childhood Education Center Luncheon. That means you can bid on it and walk away with some of my art! And yes, it's already framed. What an opportunity!

The piece is a representation of the Tablets of the Law -- the Ten Commandments, that is -- and it comprises the first ten letters of the Hebrew alphabet (the "aleph bet") set against a warm background of art papers. And the frame? A warm, natural wood.

Find out how you can get a shot at this papercut (and a new iPad... and lots more!) -- and how you can attend this fun event on Sunday, April 22: on Facebook, or on the Temple Ahavat Shalom website.

"Paper Midrash" at Temple Ahavat Shalom: Photos From Class

I had a great time studying midrash and cutting paper in these two sessions at Temple Ahavat Shalom; my thanks and praise go out to our participants, who created some very nice work in the few hours we had together. Here are a few photos from today's session.

D.I.Y. Paper Midrash at Temple Ahavat Shalom

No fees, no reservations -- just show up!

Torah restoration "before and after" photos

My synagogue, Temple Ahavat Shalom, is currently restoring a 350 year-old Torah (details here); I couldn't resist sharing a couple of "before and after" photos showing the great work our sofer is doing. (Click the images below to see them larger.) The best part? Everyone at the synagogue gets a chance to write a letter in the Torah!

Priestly Blessing illustration

This is one in a series of illustrations I'm doing for a High Holiday prayerbook for my wife, the rabbi. I'm posting this one because she's already nixed it -- so no "spoiler alert" needed.