CAARI’s Experience in Safad
CAARI has the knack for showcasing the uniquely talented artists in Israel.
I am in awe of the magnificent artistry shown to us. Noah Greenberg has made a simple piece of furniture – a Lectern into something so practical and useful and unique. He has designed practical pieces used daily, weekly and for holidays to fit into compartments in the Lectern. Each beautifully crafted wooden piece is embossed with one of the 7 species of Israel. He visits schools and removes each piece from the compartment in the lectern and talks about its relevance to a daily/weekly/holiday event. What a wonderful way to teach children about Judaic traditions. Thanks Susan and Neal for taking us to one of a kind stops.
Howard’s Experience; We then drove to Safed , where we visited the original Sephardic Shul of Joseph Caro, who had written the Shulchan Aruch, that codified Jewish law. Then, after shopping for candles at the famous candle factory, it was time for lunch. Esther, and I tried to follow our guide Neil’s instructions to the street of restaurants. (Some stayed below and ate at a traditional Yemenite sandwich place) This involved climbing steps that never seemed to end. Finally reaching the top, we collapsed into the first Falafel restaurant and had some really food to hold us. Luckily we ran into our guide at a nearby coffee shop, and found we could take an elevator down. After another walk, with more steps, we arrived at the shops of Noah Greenberg, an artist in wood, who showed us his 25-year project, a lectern, holding a vast collection of most of the Jewish objects needed for all the holidays. I hope the pictures will show the fine carvings of these items.
