Judaica Gifts

Choose Nechama Farber’s Paper Cutout Art as a beautiful Judaica Gift. It is in a long tradition of Jewish folk art, except that as seen in her work, she raises a folk into a fine art. Using her exceptional skills in painting and drawing, Farber, also creates amazing designs from cutting intricate shapes out of paper. Looking back on the history of the Jewish artist, it is only in the last few hundred years that Jewish artists were trained in the fine arts. Starting from about the 14th century, Jewish artisans, wanting to create Jewish imagery, used the few materials that were available to them - paper, scissors, and a sharp knife. Farber, whose art exemplifies the best of Jewish art, also includes in her repertoire of talents the creation of paper cut art. However, as she received the highest form of education in all types of art, and is a master of using a wide variety of materials, she brings a contemporary vision to the centuries-old art form.

Farber’s paper cuts are replete with imagery. The paper cut you see is of a Messianic vision. There are fruits such as grapes and pomegranates, and tree branches to depict the abundance and fertility of the land of Israel, the land HaShem gave the Jewish people. There are peacocks which represent the beauty and abundance of the King’s palace, which references King Solomon’s palace, where he often raised exquisite birds received from ambassadors from many countries. Farber brings the Moschiach into the design by including inn the center and top of the paper cut a lion’s head, symbolic of the Tribe of Judah, and on the sides, the Tower of David, and the Tomb of Rachel, one of the Four Jewish Mothers. Therefore, Farber’s paper cut transcends what used to be considered “folk art.” Her expertise in cutting out shapes and designing the page in perfect, yet complex symmetry reveals HaShem’s abundance and his foretelling that soon the Moschiach will arrive...