Yitzchak Mayer's Parochet

Synagogue:

Location: Israel

Challenge: Visually depict the life and impact of a remarkable Holocaust survivor.

Commission: Parochet, bima cover, amud cover, 350 booklets, 13 challah covers. All coordinated.

Fresh in my inbox:

"Good morning, Chana.
Can you believe we did it? We, meaning you, made a vision materialize in the most remarkable way. I am still walking on air.
Shavua tov,
Esti"

I'm also walking on air.

Esti Mayer, the inspired daughter of Holocaust survivor and 3-time Israeli ambassador Yitzchak Mayer, approached me nearly a year ago.

In her second email to me, she wrote:

"The parochet needs to make people gasp when they first see it.

My father was a renaissance man. He was a diplomat, an educator, a secret agent, a Torah scholar, a song writer, poet, author, journalist, politician, painter, chess genius, musician, actor, play-write, a gifted orator, he spoke seven or eight languages, a teacher, a tzadik. He made the world better. He knew thousands and thousands of people all over the world. He “raised” over thirty thousand students and remembered each one of them. Every person who spoke with him felt that he or she were the most important person in my father’s life.

How do we go about finding a design?"

I proceeded to build a dream-team of Israeli artists and graphic designers to create this hand-drawn sketch, based on 17-th century Illuminated manuscripts, that would give apt homage to Mr. Mayer.

"My father was granted refuge in Switzerland, when he fled from the Nazis as a young boy. Then, many years later, he served as Israel's ambassador in Switzerland- twice. I'd love to sprinkle the parochet with Swiss flowers, to pay homage to that glorious country that saved my father's life. Be well, Esti."

When I read my customer Esti's e-mail regarding Swiss flowers, I realized just how little I know about flowers in general. So I began researching Alpine flowers, and added them to this very initial Mood Board.

Esti's father was also a commentator and an orator. He found deep meaning in the Holy Scriptures, and this passuk from Mishlei was the one he connected to the most.
So it also had to be included somewhere on the parochet.

Last, but not least, Esti's father's name was Yitzchak, and her mother's name is Rivka. The prayer in the center of this design features a double acrostic 'hiding' both of their names...

When I read Esty’s emai, I realized just how little I know about flowers in general

This beautiful parochet, with layer upon layer of meaning, represents the most important aspects of Ambassador Yitzchak Mayer's very full life.

Let's take a deeper look at the many different flowers here:

Edelweiss: Do you notice the many Edelweiss flowers sprinkled throughout? They give thanks to Switzerland, the country that saved Mr. Mayer as a refugee during the Holocaust, and that later received him as an Israeli Ambassador.

Forget-me-nots: Those are the small pale blue flowers. Mr. Mayer wrote hundreds of Holocaust poems. One of the central themes was: "Remember. Do not forget. Please remember me."

Bluebells: These are reminiscent of the bells at the hem of the Kohen Gadol's coat.

Daisies: Popular Israeli flowers, that represent Mr. Mayer's "revival" in the Holy Land, after the war.

You'll also notice tiny red dots dispersed among the design: These represent the many poppies beautifying Yemin Ored, the youth village that Mr. Mayer presided over for several decades, giving over to underprivileged children.

Wait a sec, did I mention that I've also become a book designer/publisher?

When we were nearing the finish line with the monumental curtain in her father's memory, Esti Mayer requested that I design a book that would explain the deeper meaning of every aspect of the parochet.

Esti, who holds a Ph.D. in Judaic Studies and writes scholarly articles on Jewish and feminist topics, had no problem composing a 36-page document, replete with Biblical verses and all.
I added the design element to it.
And voila.

I printed 350 luxurious copies at the most exclusive book printer in central Israel.

Each of the 200+ guests at the Memorial service (Azkara) was handed a copy of this stunning book as they entered the synagogue.

Can you say, "WOW!"???

(B"H- I'm discovering new ways to help my customers memorialize their loved ones!!!)

Meet Simcha. He (she?) is a chameleon.

If you took a good look at my latest posts, you'll notice a chameleon in the memorial books and on the parochet!

What's a chameleon doing there??? Good question!

Ambassador Yitzchak Mayer a"h- Holocaust survivor, master educator, playwright, author, social justice warrior, commentator- happened to like chameleons!

His daughter, who commissioned the parochet, wanted to send a little 'wink' up to her father in heaven. So she asked me to add Simcha to one of the leaves in the parochet. (Tip to future customers: don't do this without consulting your Rabbi first!)

Yeah, it's never boring here!

All the threads used to create 'Simcha', in front of the computer screen showing all the colors needed.

It makes me smile when I think back and remember that this massive project started with a Torah mantel.

Esti Mayer sent me an inquiry, asking for a price for a Torah mantel in honor of her community in Montreal. I wrote back, and then... silence. (I'm sure a bunch of you service-providers have also experienced such situations!)

I checked back in a month later and asked her if she was still interested. The next thing I knew, she emailed a photo from my website of the breathtaking parochet I designed for Biala of London.
"I want this," she wrote.

And the rest is history.

Forget about the Torah mantel. B"H, We went on to create an ultra-posh, ultra-meaningful parochet-bima-amud cover set & a book!

Here is the bima cover in all its glory. Front, back, sides.

Many thanks to Vincent Russo at Samuel and Sons for those luxurious trims that just make the covers!