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hen Gail Rosenbloom Kaplan and
Dani Katsir installed their mosaic
mural at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek's Laker Center in West
Bloomfield, students who helped them make
the artistic rendering stared, awestruck.
"Wow!" said one child. "I know exactly
which piece I did."
The 7-by-17-foot mural, comprised of 85,000
glass tiles, shimmers in the multi-purpose room.
Images of a dove, a tallit, a menorah and a sho-
far, among others, encircle a Torah scroll, on
which is written, "Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah"
(one mitzvah leads to another).
The project is part of Federation's Artists in
the Schools program. Kaplan, a clay artist, and
Katsir, who creates Judaica from glass, received a
$5,000 grant from Federation and a matching
amount from the synagogue to work with b'nai
mitzvah students.
"If kids [create] a permanent piece in
their school, it will give them owner-
ship in their space," said Kaplan.
"Federation's goal is for children
to realize we can express ourselves
Judaically through the arts."
Students came up with 30 obser-
vances they consider crucial. Then
Kaplan and Katsir created a 10-by-18-inch
drawing. In November, the students began
placing glass tiles onto 15 wooden
boards, which comprise the mural.
"Kids look at Judaism different-
ly during the project," said Katsir.
Shera Dines, a Farmington Hills
7th-grader whose bat mitzvah is Feb.
2, cut and glued tiles. The experience
gave her a new perspective on Judaism and
taught her about the symbols that accompany
rituals.
"When I walked into the room, I thought,
`Wow, I can't believe I helped make that,'" she
said.
Realizing that "the arts are an important gate-
way to Jewish identity," Federation's Alliance
for Jewish Education pairs professional artists
with students of after-school religious programs.
Other projects involve storytelling, fabric, land-
scape, photography and music.
For information, contact Alaine Waldshan,
(248) 203-1486 or Waldshan@jfmd.org .

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BY LYNNE MEREDITH SCHREIBER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAN LIPPITT

Above: Seventh grade students from Congregation Shaarey Zedek's

Laker Center in West Bloomfield helped create a mosaic mural for

the multi-purpose room. From left to right: Dani Katsir, Stephanie

Berman, Chelsea Landau, Ashley Sattler, Fima Zaltsman, Josh

Zeiger, Aaron Pixstein, Josh LaDuke and Gail Rosenbloom Kaplan

are seated in front of the mosaic.

Right: A cross-section of the mosaic mural.

Far right: Artists Gail Rosenbloom Kaplan and Dani Katsir directed

this Judaic artwork project.

6 • FEBRUARY 2002 • STYLE AT THE JN

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