I had a dream earlier this summer to crochet a collection of pride flag kippot and offer them for sale to whoever would like some extra color and chuzpe in their life. I have long been a follower of Jovey and when I reached out to inquire about a collaboration I as overjoyed when they said yes! You can now find my Rainbow Kippot on their website jovey.de alongside some of my paintings.
Judaica and Jewish themes have been motifs in my art work since I picked up a paintbrush at my Jewish Community Center preschool experience. In grade seven when we could choose any building or structure to make a scale model, I chose the Kotel. It was not until I was older that I learned about the Jewish art history in my own family. My great grandmother Helen Berland created a piece tittled ‘Judaica’ for her synagouge, and my great great grandfather Yitzak Portner carved a wooden box for the family shofar, and the ark for the hospital chapel. When I immigrated to Berlin at 18 I was not able to take many of my belongings, and my kiddish cup from my bnai mitzvah nor the heavy memorah shaped like my childhood dog fit in my hiking backpack. I have had to collect bits and pieces from zu verschenken boxes, gifts from friends and lovers, and Jewish markets to build my ritual object collection here. But I still dream of the Judaica that has been passed down in my family that I cannot touch here. So I paint it. And I imagine what they used before they left Europe 130 years ago.
In two of the paintings included in my Summer art sale I incorporated the recovered and restored Judaica that have been given new life thanks to the Liora project. Joyvey has taken the time to find and offer these precious antiques to the community to use in ritual again. I was very inspired by this work and wanted to capture the energy I felt from these beautiful pieces.
The Loving Menorah //Die liebevolle Menora
15 × 21 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
inspiration: https://jovey.de/products/naomi
Neon Queer Shabbes //Neon-Queer-Schabbat
24 × 30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
inspiration: https://menorahgalleries.com/products/early-20th-century-polish-silver-plated-shabbat-candelsti
Foundations of light// Grundlagen des Lichts
30 x 42 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
inspiration: https://jovey.de/products/am-israel-set
Sensory Havdala//Sensorische Hawdala
21 × 30 cm
Acrylic on Canvas Board
Shabbat Shalom Window //Schabbat Shalom Fenster
21 × 30 cm
Acrylic and Gouache on Paper
Modeh Ani
25x 15 cm
Acrylic on Paper
Every day before I get out of bed I say the Modeh Ani. Sometimes I sing it, sometimes I whisper it, sometimes I say it with a loud and passionate voice. But always to remember I am alive and I am grateful to Hashem for another day on this planet. The various colors behind the green eye all represent what possibilities the day may have in store, and what delights can be found if I open my eyes and look.
Forest Shabbat/ Wald Shabbes
15 × 21 cm
Acrylic on Canvas
Some of the most special shabbat memories for me have been in nature during Jewish summer camp or in adventures with friends to the lakes or parks. I love to bring shabbat outside of the home and into the forest. This painting is a representation of this feeling of all the love that I feel from the trees when I sign the blessing for the candles in the open air.
The Loving Rabbi//Der liebevolle Rabbiner
21 × 30 cm
Acrylic and Gouache on paper with matching frame
This rabbi was painted as I was preparing to lead a class at Limmud on oil pastel portraiture of rabbis. I am constantly interested by how Rabbis and community leaders are depicted by Jewish artists, and I wanted to start to create my own portraits of Rabbis with bright colors and playfulness. In only the last few years I have learned that Great Great Zeydek Yitzak was a painter, and he painted his Father in law, my Great Great Great Zeyde Rabbi Aaron Ha Cohen Lichter, the Rabbi of Podilsk (Подільськ) Ukraine. The tradition of painting Rabbis has been in my family for over 100 years, and I feel joyful to follow with my own style and flair!
Rainbow Kippot by Hani
Express your pride in your Jewish and Queer identities with Kippot designed after LGBTQIA+ pride flags. These kippot are made not just for Jewish queer individuals but also for Jewish allies and those who enjoy the various color combinations. Kippot or Yallmukes are for all genders who wish to partake in the minhag. These Rainbow Kippot are the perfect accessory for Pride Shabbat or CSD march or your everyday fashions. New flags and designs are available upon request!
1. Queer/Gay Pride Flag -Rainbow
Designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978
2. Bisexual Flag-Pink, Purple, Dark Blue
designed by Michael Page in 1998
3. Transgender Flag- Blue, Pink, White
Designed by Monica Helms in 1999
4. Intersex Flag- Yellow, Purple
Designed by Morgan Carpenter in 2013
5. Mixed Colors
An assortment of colors that look nice together in various designs with no specific meaning.
Designed by Hani at random in 5786
Materials and Care:
Hand crocheted Kippot made from 100% cotton
Between 7-8cm in diameter
Maschinenwaschbar bei 40ºC / Nicht im Trockner trocknen
I love this articles that are written about the power of queer kippot: https://jcrcboston.org/my-rainbow-kippah/
https://jwa.org/blog/risingvoices/how-my-kippah-affirms-my-trans-identity
Mycelium Memory 