Contemporary Silver Judaica
Throughout the centuries, Jews have commissioned silversmiths to create beautiful ritual objects with which to praise and demonstrate their faith. These pieces of silver judaica are precious because of their intrinsic value, but also because of the way they’ve been treated. Because of racism and prejudice, many silver Jewish artifacts were tarnished, interrupted or even stolen in the past.
Contemporary silver Judaica celebrates the faith as a living religion, while preserving the traditional spirit of hiddur mitzvah—the beauty of observance. The artists featured in this exhibition express the richness of today’s Judaism with elegant, bold modern style.
Silver is a superior material to use for judaica because it will retain its appearance for several years. Consequently, you’ll never have to worry about the items getting rusted, disintegrating or changing colors. Moreover, most appropriate shops will offer these items at reasonable prices.
In Europe, Jews were not allowed to be goldsmiths or silversmiths because they were not members of guilds. As a result, most of the silver Judaica was forged by non-Jewish manufacturers and artisans on commission. These pieces often have mistakes in the Hebrew inscriptions, since the craftsmen didn’t know the language.
Finding the right piece of silver judaica can be an exciting experience. You can browse for these items in stores that specialize in Judaica, or you can look for them online. A good website will have a wide selection of these pieces, which are suitable for different occasions and ceremonies. For example, you can find gifts for Bar Mitzvahs, Brit Milahs, and new baby presents.silver menorah