Artist: Andy Warhol, After, American (1928 - 1987) Title: Marilyn Monroe 2 Year: Of Original: 1964 Medium:

Adapting Traditions for Modern Judaical Art with @tobylouketubah

To see more of Toby’s ketubot and other Jewish cultural art, follow @tobylouketubah on Instagram.

San Francisco-based artist Toby Simon (@tobylouketubah) grew up in a house full of Jewish art and with a very creative spirit. “I had a junk box in my room that was filled with things I collected like: berry cartons, straws, ribbons and random bits of plastic.” Later in college, Toby discovered a passion for Hebrew calligraphy and began designing her own Judaical art, featuring references to Jewish culture ranging from menorahs and poetry to modernizing ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract.

“What I love most about a ketubah is that it connects us to our ancestors, but at the same time by modernizing the text we can now include interfaith, secular or same-sex marriages; marriages that were not accounted for in the earliest Aramaic versions,” she says. “As a ketubah designer I feel proud to be a part of this progression.”

A full-time mom with two children, Toby finds time to create early in the morning or during nap time. For the upcoming Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, she continues to adapt tradition. Her menorahs made of fabric and buttons are a “safe way for children to count out the eight nights of Hanukkah with their parents.”

Cute illustrations done by Marija Tiurina 

Jewish cemetery in Yeghegis, Armenia, 13th century

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today I bought a siddur for Shabbat and weekdays which we also use in both synagogues I’m going to. I have no clue yet when to recite which prayers at home but I hope I will learn it soon. (Help is warmly welcome!)

Jean-Étienne Liotard, The Chocolate Girl, 1744-45, pastel on parchment, 82.5 x 52.5 cm, Gemäldegalerie, Dresden. Source

Jean-Étienne Liotard was a Swiss-French painter specialising in portraits and figurative scenes. This is one of his most famous works and was created using pastels on parchment. Liotard will be the subject of a major exhibition at the Royal Academy this autumn.

Orthodox Boys (1948). Bernard Perlin.

By the Coast at Bornholm - Peder Mork Monsted

1917

jewish symbols von Franciska Über Flickr: Zsidó temető, Kolozsvár. Jewish cemetery, Cluj-Napoca, Ro. “On Jewish tombstones you will sometimes see a symbol showing two hands arranged for the Priestly Blessing like the example here. (symbol of the Kohen)… The six-pointed Star of David, a symbol of Judaism, is frequently found on Jewish tombstones. It is also called the Shield of David (Magen David in Hebrew). Sometimes you will see the Hebrew abbreviation “Peh-Nun” inside the star like the example here. This abbreviation stands for either “poh nitman” or “poh nikbar” and means simply, “here lies…” resourse: cemeteries.wordpress.com/category/jewish/

Synagogue painting #Germany (at Jüdisches Museum Berlin | Jewish Museum Berlin)