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December 3, 2004
Bring home a little bit of Israel
Buying gifts from kibbutzim will help artisans through the country's
recession.
BATSHEVA POMERANTZ ISRAEL PRESS SERVICE
Unique handmade gift items by kibbutz and moshav artisans will
adorn tables, homes and garments in North America thanks to a new
project initiated by the small business division of the Kibbutz
Movement, which was challenged to help the artisans market their
work.
Among the arts and crafts are tablecloths that incorporate biblical
motifs, archeology and Israeli folklore, hand-painted original designs
on silk scarves and wall hangings, and jewelry depicting ancient
Jewish coins.
Until recent years, these artisans and craftspeople would hold local
studio days and sell their items to Israelis and tourists. With
the decline in tourism and the economic recession affecting Israeli
buying power, kibbutz artisans have been especially hard-hit.
Batia Rockman of the small business division of the Kibbutz Movement
came up with the idea of exporting the products and, through the
Israel Export Institute, she contacted Jerusalemite Melanie Rosenberg,
a partner in Media Plus Communications, to plan a marketing strategy.
In the spring of 2003, Rosenberg and her partner, Naomi Stolper,
visited the kibbutzim and met with the artisans.
"We loved their work," said Rosenberg, "and realized
that we had reached a totally new market – one not even available
in local Israeli gift shops. The items were high quality, handmade
and unique. Some were limited editions. We had a gut feeling that
this would appeal to the American market."
Most of the artisans make textiles and produce tablecloths, runners,
wall hangings and scarves, all with a "Handmade in Israel"
label. Others design jewelry made of gold, silver, semi-precious
stones and beads.
"We demand of the artisans that they fill a niche with each
product and that it have a feel of eretz Israel," said Rosenberg.
"We want people buying these items to feel that they have brought
home a little bit of Israel."
Rarely Judaica, the items convey the connection to the land of Israel;
not surprising given the fact that many of the artisans are farmers
who work the land. Today, Kibbutz and Moshav Artisans, an umbrella
organization, represents 15 artisans at fairs in the United States.
Jewelry designer Aliza Polichuk participated in the fair that kicked
off the Israel Independence Day celebrations of Temple Israel in
Great Neck, N.Y., in April 2004. The Israel Support Day was the
first sale organized by the synagogue's Israel Action Committee
and was devoted to kibbutz and moshav crafts.
Polichuk is inspired by the beautiful Golan Heights scenery surrounding
Moshav Kidmat Zvi when she creates original sterling silver and
gold-filled jewelry featuring delicate semi-precious stones and
crystal beads. Many of her designs incorporate basalt, which is
indigenous to the region, as well as replicas of ancient Jewish
coins discovered at the Gamla excavations (the Gamla fortress is
termed "the Masada of the north"). A former photographer
who began designing jewelry 10 years ago, Polichuk also works in
agriculture on her moshav, which grows apples, pears and wine grapes,
and raises chickens.
The event was an outstanding experience with brisk sales for all
artisans.
"People ordered items for themselves as well as gifts for Mother's
Day and Thanksgiving," said Rosenberg. "Not only are the
prices at the fairs very reasonable, but the buyer receives a uniquely
Israeli object together with a brief bio about the artisan, which
adds a personal touch."
"The purpose of this venture, which unites all the artisans,
is to market and export their products together, which greatly reduces
costs," explained Rockman.
Last year, the testing ground for marketing the crafts was a single
stand at a Buy Israeli Products fair in California on Israel Independence
Day 2003, where the general response was excellent. Direct contact
with buyers revealed that some products needed to be custom-made
for the American market – tablecloths had to be lengthened
and widened and candlesticks had to be made larger to accommodate
the bigger American candles. Sometimes, even colors had to be changed.
Color is integral to Esti Hermon's hand-painted designs on 100 per
cent silk scarves, clothes, pictures, wall hangings and challah
covers. Originally from Tel-Aviv, Hermon has been a member of Kibbutz
Afikim in the Jordan Valley since 1968. After studying art at the
Kibbutz Movement's Oranim Institute for Art Education and the Avni
Art Institute in Tel-Aviv, Hermon worked as an art teacher until
opening her own studio in 1995. Her colorful work is inspired by
the Jordan Valley scenery, flowers and nature that surround her,
and biblical stories such as Noah's ark and Jacob's dream.
"I especially like drawing children's themes and animals,"
said Hermon, who once mounted an exhibition of her artwork that
featured only sheep.
A genuine flavor of the land of Israel that will sweeten any holiday
menu is a liqueur distilled from passion fruit. Gideon Adar, an
agronomist at Kibbutz Ga'aton in the Western Galilee, has developed
a special strain of passion fruit with a uniquely sweet taste and
aroma. In order to make the liqueur more widely available, Gideon
worked with a top wine specialist to develop a special method of
distilling alcohol from this hard-to-grow fruit. The passion fruit
in Love Liqueur is organically grown and has a high concentration
of anti-oxidants and vitamin C, and is certified kosher.
An e-commerce website will soon be up and running, giving buyers
an opportunity to buy all products online throughout the year and
Rosenberg hopes to find distributors in North America to market
the items.
"There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction and good feeling
about this project," said Rockman. "It will help our artisans
venture out and perhaps become a model for other enterprises."
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