The Aron Kodesh

Needlework for the Aron Kodesh

Catherine Breier identified our shul's need for new Torah mantles and launched a synagogue-wide project, asking Judy Snitzer to lead it. Judy designed three-dimensional mantles and organized our talented contributors. 

Now, the mantles name each sefer Torah. During services, if someone picks up the wrong sefer Torah, another person says, No, Sukkot.  

Shavuot

The seven species decorate the Shavuot mantle. Many people created pieces for our mantles using their needlework skills like crochet, embroidery, macrame, and needlepoint. 

Hanna Bloomfield, Catherine Breier, Alana Riss Fine, Debbie Baumgarten Kusnetz, Debbie Mintz, Anne Monique Rapoport, Judy Shapiro, and Judy Snitzer contributed needlework to this mantle.

This sefer Torah is Dutch, rescued from the Holocaust. The Dutch Jewish community entrusted it to the Slager family who donated it to Darchei Noam. Rita Stough embroidered a panel of a phoenix rising, the symbol of the Dutch Jewish community, for back of the mantle. 

Sukkot

The symbols on the Sukkot mantle represent the ushpizin, the seven exalted guests, invited to the sukka: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Joseph, and David. The leaves on the top of the mantle and hanging as fringe represent s'chach.

Catherine Breier, Chana DeLisle, Mark Glotter, Debbie Baumgarten Kusnetz, Judy Shapiro, Judy Snitzer, and Rita Stough contributed needlework to this mantle. 

Pesach 

The fringe for this mantle is the Red Sea, with fish, a seahorse, and strands of seaweed. Our seder has a beitsah, karpas, hazeret, zeroa, charoset, four cups, and a crispy shmurah matzah.

Shully Adler, Catherine Breier, Chana DeLisle, Debbie Baumgarten Kusnetz, Tamar Marmor, Debbie Mintz, Judy Shapiro, Hadassa Slager, Judy Snitzer, and Rita Stough contributed needlework to this mantle. 

The Parochet 

A banner and many leaves decorate the parochet. Some leaves are in honor or memory. The banner says עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה ~ etz chaim, a tree of life to those who grasp it. Rectangles represent bark on a tree, with symbols like a hoopoe bird, the seven species, menorahs, lions of Judah, and many kinds of fish.

Judy Shapiro, Judy Snitzer, and Rita Stough contributed needlework to decorate the parochet. 

More Information

• Torah mantles displayed at the North Carolina Art Museum inspired our High Holiday mantles.
• Stormcloud Trading, a Native American craft and bead store in St. Paul
• Jewish Threads: A Hands-On Guide to Stitching Spiritual Intention into Jewish Fabric Crafts by Diana Drew with Robert Grayson describes our Shavuot and Sukkot mantles and how to make one.
• The drawing on the cover of Shel Silverstein's book The Giving Tree inspired the design of the banner for the  parochet.

• About
• Rabbi Max Davis
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• Aron Kodesh
• Jewish Minnesota