In Today's Issue - August 31, 2011

Spotlight on the Artist
---> Joy Stember, Metal Arts Studio

Sales of the Week
---> $10 off all Joy Stember Judaica
---> Free shipping on all Rosh Hashanah gifts
---> $10 off any Ayala Bar piece

What's New at Jewish Gift Place
---> Beautiful New Rosh Hashanah pieces
---> Ayala Bar's Fall 2011 Collection is here!

Favorite Links
---> Interesting articles, videos, and blogs I've read

Risa's Wrap-up
---> Return to the bungalow colony in Monticello, NY

Hi Everyone!

What a week here in New York! First an earthquake, then a hurricane! Thankfully, the offices here at Jewish Gift Place did not lose power, although we feel terrible about everyone up and down the east coast who were deeply affected by this force of Mother Nature.

I'm very excited to introduce you to our newest artist, Joy Stember, and tell you about our new Rosh Hashanah pieces. Let's get right to the good stuff...

Spotlight on the Artist
--->Joy Stember, Metal Arts Studio

JOY STEMBER

We have a new artist, Joy Stember, who I'm very excited to introduce you to. I met Joy and her dad for the first time in February at the Philadelphia Buyer's Market of American Craft, and I met her again two weeks ago at the NY International Gift Fair. I asked her to say "hello," so check out the short video of Joy to 'meet' the woman behind such incredible Judaica. Her pieces are modern and beautiful, and her hand-hammered pewter apple and honey dish is just magnificent!

Sales of the Week
---> Now thru next Wednesday, September 7:

• $10 OFF any Joy Stember piece. EnterJS11 at Step 2 of checkout to receive the discount
• FREE SHIPPING on any Rosh Hashanah gift. EnterRH11.
• $10 OFF any Ayala Bar piece. EnterAB11.

What's New at Jewish Gift Place
----> Beautiful New Rosh Hashanah pieces

You've got to see these beautiful new Apple and Honey dishes by our talented artists! Check out the incredible pieces by Gary Rosenthal, Emily Rosenfeld, Simple Touch IL, Shraga Landesman, and our newest artist, Joy Stember. See a video I took of 6 of the Apple and Honey dishes in our collection. Rosh Hashanah begins on sundown September 28, 2011 and although that is still 4 weeks away, remember that all of our pieces are handmade so it takes time to make them.

---> Ayala Bar's Fall 2011 Collection is here!

Ayala Bar's pieces are simply magnificent! She is our most prolific artist with an entirely new collection every Spring and Fall. We just added her Fall 2011 line, which I saw in person at the NY International Gift Fair, and it's really just stunning! Check out Paige's wonderful blog post, "Ayala Bar’s Fall 2011 Collection Reflects Season’s Hottest Trends."

Favorite Links
----> Favorite articles, blog posts, videos

• 48 years ago on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream Speech." Read about the important role that the Jewish people played in the Civil Rights movement at the Jewish News Archive.
• 91 years ago on August 26, 1920, women won the right to vote. It took picketing, marches, demontrations, going to jail, and the tireless effort of fearless women who paved the way for women's equality. Read more about it at "The Day the Suffrage Battle Was Won."
• I wrote briefly about my special bungalow experience below, but there existed another special bungalow colony in Ellenville, NY, which is the subject of the documentary, "The Four Seasons Lodge." It is the story of a close-knit group of Holocaust survivors, most now in their 80's, that focuses on the bonds that these survivors formed with each other through their 26 summers together, and the joy and zest for life they share, which stands in contrast to lives harrowed by loss. This movie appears on PBS stations, or you can buy the DVD.

Any interesting stories you've read this week? Please share! Send your links to news @ jewishgiftplace.com.

Risa's Wrap-up
Last weekend was a very nostalgic weekend for Mike and me. We returned to Monticello, NY to the bungalow colony where we met when we were 13 years old. My mom sold her bungalow last year and Mike's mom is selling her bungalow this weekend, so although we haven't been up there for years, this was the last time we went up there, except I guess in passing, one day.

The childhood memories are overflowing of this place. I grew up in an apartment building in Brooklyn, so going upstate for the summers was just a city girl's dream come true. There were acres to run and play in, and nobody locked their doors, and at that time, there were no telephones in the bungalows or TV's. There were tons of stars in the sky. There were a lot of kids my age up there and every night we hung out at The Big Tree until all hours of the night. That's where I met Mike but it took 3 years until we started dating. I loved going up there so much! Remember those little Hallmark calenders that they gave out for free every year around New Year's? I remember for a few years I had a countdown from Labor Day til Memorial Day when we would be going up there again. It was weird going back there again, this time with a 12 year old son of our own.

Do you have bungalow colony memories? Please share! Send your memories to news @ jewishgiftplace.com.

Have a great week! Catch you in two weeks!

Risa Borsykowsky, Owner
www.JewishGiftPlace.com