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A Visual journey in Israel from the North to the South, commissioned by Temple Sholom Synagogue of Vancouver.

This project was initiated by the Art committee of Temple Sholom, with the objective of bringing the sights of the Eretz Yisrael to the congregants of Temple Sholom of Vancouver.
I feel humbled by a task that intends to both convey the deep links that tie us to the land of our ancestors, and at the same time express our strong bond to the new state of Israel.
While the landscapes are a virtual, visual reality of Israel of today, the Biblical verses interwoven are references to the specific places they depict.

Details of the Biblical verses in Hebrew interwoven in the paintings:

Kinnert, Jordan, Haifa - Israel landscape acrylic paintings on panels
by artist Rina Lederer Vizer

Jaffa, Tel Aviv - Israel landscape acrylic paintings on panels
by artist Rina Lederer Vizer

"JERUSALEM" EAST WALL OF THE CHAPEL IN "TEMPLE SHOLOM" SYNAGOGUE

Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Artist: Rina Lederer-Vizer

Commissioned by Temple Sholom Synagogue in Vancouver/ 2004
Two panels measuring 52" wide x 62" depicting Jerusalem in a three dimensional imagery: with a box housing 1300 notes of the Synagogue's members.

When I was asked to give my proposal for the east wall of the chapel, I immediately thought about Jerusalem, the place where our people turn to at the time of prayer. I wanted to create an image that echoes the three thousand year long dialogue; the Jewish people have with the city of peace.

I thought about the 'Kotel', the Western wall of the Temple, as a physical metaphor that became the soul of the dialogue and a place that embodies the continuous bond the Jewish people have with the Bible. The stones of the Western wall are the place where the personal yearnings weave themselves into the Jewish narrative. In my panels, I wanted to recreate the western Wall experience. As a place where Jews visit to reconnect with the past and place a note in between the cracks, for the future. The congregation of "Temple Sholom" got involved in writing notes, just like the ones people have been putting in the Kotel for thousands of years.

I created the three dimensional paintings. The image is made of two surfaces:
1) Wood board with mixed-media acrylic painting.
2) A Plexiglas panel with a line drawing. Biblical quotes painted on the Plexiglas cast a shadow on the background surface.
The panels are illuminated in an angle that reflects the text on the background, the landscape of the hills of Jerusalem. At the bottom, there is an accessible box, measuring 10''. This box was designed to house the notes people wrote, expressing their prayers, wishes & hopes.

On Rosh-Hashanah, people of the congregation were handed small papers; on one side of the paper was a colorful digital image that was generated from the painting and the other side was white. Through the 'Ten days of Awe', (From Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur) people wrote their notes of prayers, wishes and yearnings. We collected about 1,300 notes on Yom Kippur. .The folded notes were set in the box creating a colorful image, a metaphor of the collective longing of the people.

Artist Rina Lederer-Vizer

Artist Rina Lederer-Vizer

Gallery of Jerusalem mixed media paintings >>

Generation X - recent work >>