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Our Top Judaica Finds for Hanukkah 2019 and Beyond

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Hamsa Hand Watercolor Painting by BRITcolors

In honor of Hanukkah coming up in just a couple of weeks (yep, the first night is December 22 – mark those calendars!), we wanted to share with you some of the Judaica pieces Team STG is lusting after right now. 

Though we’re normally pretty narrowly focused on bringing you the best of the best when it comes to wedding-related goods and services, we’re always keeping an eagle eye out on the latest and greatest in Jewish art, design, and beyond (NB: if you’re into this, join our Smashing Life membership for life after the wedding) so we’ve put together this post as a snapshot of what we’re loving as we head into 2020.

The Chosen One Game

Whether you’re looking for an heirloom to pass down through the generations or just a fun last-minute Hanukkah gift, we’ve got you covered. 

Hanukkah

Acyrylic Oil Chanukiah by Apeloig Collection from Contemporary Judaica  | £245

How cool are these colorful acrylic menorahs from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Contemporary Judaica? You can even customize the placement of the shamash!

PSA to all you brides and grooms reading this: Contemporary Judaica offers wedding gift list services, either through their own site or through The Wedding Shop at Selfridges in London 

Delightful Dreidel by Melanie Dankowicz | $145

This magnificent stainless steel dreidel from Smashing The Glass Recommended Vendor Melanie Dankowicz, featuring the Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hey, and shin tucked in amidst the design, is a true work of art.

Hanukkah High-Performance Leggings from ModernTribe | $40
(Take off an additional 10% discount if you’re a member of Smashing The Glass Brides Club)

How cute (and cozy) are these leggings, adorned with menorahs, dreidels, and Stars of David? Even better, STG Brides Club and Smashing Life members get an automatic 10% discount at Modern Tribe. Not yet a member? Join here for Brides Club and here for Smashing Life!

Shoshi Dreidel Studs by Ariel Tidhar  |  From $36

This Hanukkah, dreidels aren’t just for playing with, thanks to these fun acrylic stud earrings, handmade in New York City.

 

The Ultimate Hanukkah Sweater by Sefira Creative  | $49

A Hanukkah sweater, but not cheesy. 

Shabbat

Farah Challah Cover in Gold Bordeaux by AHYIN | $350

Micaela Ezra of AHYIN creates truly stunning ethically crafted challah covers – each one is hand-embroidered by artisans in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. 

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How to Experience the Spiritual Side of a Jewish Wedding (when it so often gets lost in the madness of putting the wedding together)

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Jewish Wedding Spirituality_1210
This is a guest post by Micaela Ezra (Micaela on her wedding day above)

The days leading up to my wedding were some of the most beautiful yet stressful of my life. One thing was certain – the experience of the ceremony was as essential to me as the reception, and I wanted the guests to feel something special.

Identifying this early on, was the lifeboat that kept me in the right place when things went array (like a freak hurricane in the California desert on the day of an outdoor wedding type of chaos).

Jewish Wedding Spirituality_1217
Truth, love and all things eternal

There is something otherworldly that happens on a wedding day. We are moved to tears more easily, we get goosebumps, there is a surge of joy, of optimism and adrenalin for everyone.

I believe it’s because we are tapping into an absolute truth – the power of LOVE – and because through that truth we are connecting to a realm beyond the physical world. A realm which is eternal.Continue ReadingContinue Reading

5 Ways to Incorporate Jewish spirituality into your wedding and home – with Micaela Ezra, founder of AHYIN

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AHYIN-MICAELA-EZRA
This Monday July 2, we are going live with the incredible Micaela Ezra, founder of AHYIN, to talk about  how to incorporate Jewish spirituality into your wedding and home.

As brides, we spend so much time thinking about the aesthetics and logistics of our big days, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the spiritual element of your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding — and of the home you’re building together.

That’s why I’m SO thrilled to be going live with NYC-based Micaela Ezra, the powerhouse designer behind AHYIN, a jaw-droppingly gorgeous line of contemporary Judaica that we on Team STG are absolutely OBSESSED with.

ahyin-shabbat-table

You’ll learn all about:

– How to incorporate spirituality in the lead up to your wedding

– How you might want your wedding to “feel” as opposed to material elements

– What spiritual Jewish path you might want to embark on with your partner

and so much more!

There’ll also be an exclusive gift from Micaela for everyone who watches… you won’t want to miss this!

We welcome any questions you may be – either comment live during the broadcast, or you submit a question in advance by emailing karen@smashingtheglass.com

ahyin-shabbat-table

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Bringing Spirituality into Your Jewish Wedding and Your Home with Micaela Ezra of AHYIN

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Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

As brides, we spend so much time thinking about the aesthetics and logistics of our big days, sometimes it’s easy to overlook the spiritual element of your Jewish (or Jew-ish) wedding – and of the home you’re building together. 

That’s why I’m so thrilled to be talking today to Micaela Ezra, the powerhouse designer behind AHYIN, a jawdroppingly gorgeous line of contemporary Judaica that we on Team STG are absolutely in love with. Micaela’s designs – she’s best known for her stunning challah covers, which bring together traditional Jewish symbolism and the embroidery traditions of the craftswomen of Hilando Mexico, a collective whose members hand-embroider each and every AHYIN piece.

Meant to start conversation around the Friday night dinner table, Micaela’s designs reflect her belief in the relevance of Jewish ritual to our contemporary lives, and equally in the fusion of spirituality and beauty.

Micaela’s wedding — Photography: Joe Buissink | @joebuissink

AHYIN’s pieces are intended to be handed down through the generations as heirlooms, and what a beautiful symbol of the beginning of your life together as a family. Even for those of us who are not exactly at the beginning of our lives together – I know I’m adding a few of these beauties to my own wishlist!

What makes Micaela so inspiring is that she really embodies her commitment to tradition and modernity, ritual and aesthetic, not only in her work but also in her life – as she detailed when talking to us about everything from her journey from fashion design to Judaica to how she incorporated spirituality into her own wedding. There’s so much more I could say about this fantastic lady and her art, but I’ll let you read it in her own words.

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

Photography; Sasha Israel | @sashaisrael

STG: What inspired you to create AHYIN?

Micaela Ezra: Actually a childhood friend from Australia asked me to design her a challah cover in the traditional Mexican Otami embroidery style (I am a designer and artist). The request prompted a creative journey into an industry I had never even considered. I serendipitously came across a community of talented artisans in Mexico and suddenly I realised that this work was the meeting point of so many life passions for me – textile design, Jewish spirituality and social change philanthropy.

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