* e
l >> gift guide
Dream Weaver
A former Jewish community professional has come back home
and switched gears to follow her passion.
N
ancy Gad-Harf has long been
a familiar name in the Metro
Detroit Jewish community.
Her reputation still shines — but now a
bit differently
Gad-Harf, originally from Long Island,
N.Y., settled in West Bloomfield in 1988
when her husband, David, accepted the
position of executive director of the Jewish
Community Council of Metropolitan
Detroit (now called the Jewish Community
Relations Council), and Gad-Harf worked
as development director at Temple Israel
in West Bloomfield. She then became
regional director of the Detroit chapter of
the New York-based American Technion
Society (ATS), providing support to the
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology,
one of the world's leading science and
technology universi-
ties.
"We lived in West
Bloomfield for 17
years," says Gad-Harf.
"It was home to us."
But when their
son, Josh, left for
Chicago, and she and
her husband were
both offered jobs in
New York's Jewish
community, "we
thought, 'Why not
have an adventure?"'
she says.
While David
worked as the COO
of the Federation of
Northern New Jersey,
Gad-Harf ran a $200
million campaign
for the New York
Metropolitan Region
of ATS.
And in 2009, she
was diagnosed with a
benign brain tumor.
Gad-Harf under-
went extensive surgery and rehabilitation,
even relearning how to walk. Throughout
it all, she continued working for ATS. "It's
a fantastic organization:' she says. "I felt
like I was doing important work — but I
realized it wasn't feeding my soul:'
Always a prolific spare-time quilter and
wanting to explore her creative side while
learning a technique that could enhance
her quilting, Gad-Harf enrolled in a bead-
weaving class at the Fashion Institute of
34 November 14 • 2013
Lynne Konstantin
Technology in New York.
"I had a wonderful teacher, and I real-
ized that I really had a penchant for mak-
ing jewelry:' she says. She started a busi-
ness crafting one-of-a-kind pieces she sold
in local galleries and exhibited in juried
shows — and loved it.
Meanwhile, she and her husband moved
to Maplewood, N.J., and when her con-
tract at ATS ended, she felt the need for
a change. She began commuting back to
the city to run a $20 million building cam-
I Contributing Writer
paign for B'nai Jeshurun, a popu-
lar congregation on New York's
Upper West Side.
And then, in 2011, she was
diagnosed with breast cancer.
"Bead weaving and jewelry
making became more than a business to
me:' Gad-Harf says. "It's an affirmation of
life. Making beautiful things that people
enjoy wearing means something to me
beyond the business side. It really hit me
that life is short. And I decided to give up
everything else:'
She left her job at B'nai Jeshurun and
focused on creating jewelry, calling her
business Late for Dinner Designs.
Soon her son had married, and when
his wife became pregnant and they moved
back to Detroit, Gad-Harf and her hus-
band did not have to think twice before
following suit. "I honestly missed Detroit
about a minute after I left:' Gad-Harf says.
"It was always home to us. And there is no
place like the Detroit Jewish community:'
Although she and David no longer
work in that community, it still offered a
welcome homecoming to the family when
they returned to a new home in West
Bloomfield last January, lauding Gad-Harf
with accolades and clients to her burgeon-
ing jewelry-making business.
Rachael Adadevoh-Woods, owner of
Artloft Gallery in Birmingham, where
Gad-Harf's creations are carried, has been
a tireless supporter, even acting as her
representative. And loyal clients include
Florine Mark and former gov-
ernor Jennifer Granholm.
Like the life she has experi-
enced and the lessons she has
learned, Gad-Harf's jewelry
is bold. Starting with semi-
precious stones, minerals and
sterling silver, she weaves
in high-quality glass beads,
Swarovski crystals, pearls and
other elements into shimmer-
ing necklaces and bracelets,
from formal to casual but
always stunning.
"What's unique is that these
pieces are not strung; Gad-
Harf says. "Pearls are strung.
But my beads are actually
sewn together with needle and
thread; the pattern is woven:'
Starting with the compo-
nents that she knows she
wants to work with, like a
mineral to be used as a pen-
dant, Gad-Harf then lets the design evolve
with complementary beads around the
central piece. Each piece begins with a
woven foundation, and is then layered
with beads — some so tiny she needs a
magnifying glass to see the needle —on
top of it.
"The process, the pieces and the end
result are very organic. But the jewelry can
be worn to a black-tie event or every day
with blue jeans."
❑
Late For Dinner Designs by Nancy Gad-
Harf West Bloomfield (248-736-1573).
Visit Artloft Gallery in Birmingham
(artloft.com) or contact Gad-Harf for cus-
tom commissions.