I can’t believe the summer is almost over! Rosh Hashana is fast approaching and since it is a holiday of reflection and renewal, I thought it would be a good time to update you on what has been going on at Jewish Gift Place this summer– to reflect on where we have been and what lies ahead.

This summer has been a busy one for us. With three young boys at home for the summer, my family has taken two wonderful camping trips to the Poconos in Pennsylvania, and next week, we’re off to the Finger Lakes in New York and Niagara Falls in Canada.

Lana also had an opportunity to get away for a family reunion on the beaches of Ogunquit, Maine to enjoy some R&R!

The next few weeks will be a whirlwind with back to school preparations and then we will welcome in the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashana. You might find our informative article, “What is Rosh Hashana?” interesting. We’ve just added some incredible new Rosh Hashana pieces that I am sure you will love.

NEW ROSH HASHANA GIFTS

Emily Rosenfeld has created a lovely pewter honey bowl with dipper that I am sure will be a hit. Emily’s Judaica is such a unique combination of the contemporary and the traditional. Her pieces are always a hit with our customers.

As always, Gary Rosenthal is an inspired worker bee who keeps creating the most gorgeous pieces. He has just added two Rosh Hashana items, an apple dish and a honey bowl that are just exquisite and so identifiably a “Gary Rosenthal.”

Shraga Landesman has a lovely collection of Judaica as well and we have just added his Apple and Honey Tray. It is really an incredible piece that combines stainless steel, beechwood and glass in a simple yet meaningful way.

WHAT’S NEW

Last Sunday, 8/16/09, I attended the New York International Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The Gift Fair is always breathtaking in its scale and pace, and, as always, an amazing experience.

I saw some incredible new woven pieces from Gary Rosenthal, and Michal Golan added new hamsas to her collection. We’ll be adding these new items soon. I caught up with many of the other artists and I’ll be writing about that and showing photos on our blog soon.

We have already received new Judaica jewelry from our newest artist, Angie Olami, who makes the most beautiful jewelry with Roman glass from Israel. You will love her work! We will be adding her products soon and I can’t wait to share them with you!

We started a Twitter account, so you can follow us there.

We issued our first press release, “Work-at-Home Mom and Web Entrepreneur Celebrates 2 Years of Selling Handmade Judaica Online.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

We’re very excited to have updated our Gary Rosenthal interview. It will be online soon and we’ll be writing a press release about it, as well. Gary is a wonderful artist and person, and I know you’ll find this interview very interesting.

We also have an interview with the amazing Israeli artist, Ayala Bar, in the works. We are proud to carry the entire Ayala Bar Fall 2009 Collection.

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As I reflect back on this past year, I would like to thank all of you for your support of Jewish Gift Place in a time when I know we are all feeling the crunch. It is an honor and pleasure to bring our collection of handmade Judaica to you. Thank you for appreciating beautiful handcrafted Judaica and the artisans that craft it.

We wish all of you a Happy New Year and a healthy and peaceful year ahead!

Risa Borsykowsky,
Owner and
Ulana Illiano

Jewish Gift Place