Limited Edition Giclee print
(Original: ink and gouache on paper)
50 units
H 15 ¾” x W13 ½”

A Mizrach – literally meaning “East” but could also be an acronym of “Mitzad Zeh Ru’ach Chayim”: from this side is the spirit of life – is a piece of art hanging on the east wall of a house or a sukkah to indicate where to turn to when praying, since Jerusalem is east of most of the diaspora Jewish communities.

In this Mizrach there is a right hand Chamsa (considered to be a sign of good luck by some Jews and Muslims) made of verses about Jerusalem from Psalm 122 (“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper that love thee” etc.). The right hand alludes to the verse from Psalm 137: “If I forget thee O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning”. This verse is written around the iris of the eye in the center of the hand, alluding to the Hebrew expression “precious as the pupil of the eye”.

More verses about Jerusalem and Zion, from Zechariah 8:3 (“and Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts The holy mountain”) and from Psalm 122, plus the Israel anthem Hatikvah, are written in the border around the piece. The trees pattern in the diamond-shaped border alludes to an old ketubah from Jerusalem, from 1860, which I liked in particular when I began making ketubot in 1983.

The golden color in the borders and in the word Mizrach alludes to an ancient Jewelry ornament in the shape of a city called Jerusalem of Gold, which Rabbi Akivah gave to his beloved wife Rachel when he became a great teacher. It’s also the name of the beloved Israeli song by Naomi Shemer written during the Six Day War.