family focus
One Stitch At A Time
Creating donations from a blank canvas.
Ruchie Weisberg works on a needlepoint mezuzah near a supply
cabinet that doubles as a display area for one of a dozen of her
hand-made pillows.
I
Shelli Liebman Dorfman
Contributing Writer
A
needlepointer for 45 years, Ruchie
Weisberg's handmade mezuzahs
tie together the beauty of her talent
with her continuing drive to help others.
She has created everything from a tallit
bag and lulav case for her husband, Itzy, and
tefillin bags for eight grandsons — each with
a special note stitched into the lining — to
antique purses, beach bags, a multitude
of wall hangings and, remarkably, a piano
bench.
Weisberg even taught a class that focused
on the craft for the Livonia Adult Education
program. But she never sold her needlepoint
creations until this past year when she added
decorative mezuzah cases — which encase
the actual mezuzah parchment — to her rep-
ertoire, with a percentage of proceeds from
their sale going to a charitable organization
she founded in memory of her mother.
"I was in New York last year on Shavuos
[in June] and visited one of my daughter's
friends who had needlepointed all the
mezuzahs in her house said Weisberg, who
lives in Southfield. "Though I thought they
were lovely, I knew I could do more intricate
designs. Hers were all geometric patterns.
I also thought I could modify a Lucite case
that was more interesting than the simple
case she used:'
After returning home, Weisberg began
creating and selling her mezuzahs to help
support the Yeshoeah Foundation, which
collects funds for those in need in the Metro
Detroit Jewish community before Passover
and Rosh Hashanah.
54 April 16 • 2015
JN
Linda and Dr. Joel Zacks display their 'seven species' mezu-
JJ Jacobs, 10, and her sisters,
Elianna, 8, and Gabriella, 11, touch the zah in their apartment in Israel.
mezuzah in their home.
May 1, 2014. "Our last name is Kohn, and
In 2012, Weisberg founded the charitable
organization in memory of her mother, the
my son is a kohen [descendant of the priestly
late Ghana Rosenberg, who, as a young girl,
tribe]:' she said. "Shoshana is the daughter of
was unable to afford much-needed
-.7.
a kohen as well. So she stitched
footwear before Passover.
the symbolic hands in bless-
Proceeds from Kaddish For
ing that kohanim represent,
My Mother, Weisberg's not-yet-
and she spelled out 'Kohn: in
published book about Rosenberg,
Hebrew.
will also be donated to the founda-
"I love the white background
tion, which is administered by the
stitching since it allows the
Southfield-based Matan B'Seter
symbolic hands-in-blessing
Detroit, a charitable, volunteer-run
and the Hebrew lettering to
agency providing funds, goods
show up very beautifully:' said
and services to local Jews in need.
Kohn, who, along with Daniel,
Weisberg's artistic aptitude
owns and operates Quality
may have come from her mother,
Kosher Catering in Southfield.
a talented seamstress, who for
Having known Weisberg for
many years worked for a high-end
quite some time, Kohn said,
"Ruchie has been drawing and
couture haberdashery in Chicago.
But the love of needlepointing is
designing her own needle-
The 'Jerusalem lion'
all her own.
point canvases ever since I can
design mezuzah in
"I actually taught my mother to
remember, and she is extreme-
the Jacobs' home
needlepoint, but I think she only
ly talented. It's no wonder she
completed one pillow. By the time
came up with such a symbolic
I taught her, she had sewn enough in her life- and personal way of adding beauty as well as
time and didn't necessarily find it as relaxing meaning to someone's home:'
a hobby as I did:' Weisberg said.
Weisberg's customers also purchase her
mezuzahs to hang on the doorposts of their
Mezuzah Gifting
own houses.
Weisberg's mezuzahs are typically purchased
Rivka and Brian Jacobs bought the
as gifts to celebrate a milestone, such as a
"Jerusalem lion" design for a doorway at
new house, new baby or a wedding, with one the entrance to the dining room of their
recently auctioned off at an Akiva Hebrew
Southfield home. "We like to support local
Day School fundraising event, and are in the
business:' said Rivka Jacobs, who owns her
homes of two of her daughters.
own local business, Jerusalem Pizza, with her
Leah Kohn of Southfield had a special
husband, Brian. "We also saw a tremendous
mezuzah custom-designed as a gift for the
amount of creativity and detail put into the
Oak Park home of her son, Daniel, and his
mezuzah. This was also a very different type
new wife, Shoshana, who were married on
of Jewish art that is unique and classy"
Weisberg's mezuzahs are not being sold
only to Jewish customers. Michael Scarvelis,
who is Greek Orthodox, purchased one as a
gift for someone who is.
"I grew up in Southfield where a lot of my
friends were Jewish:' said Scarvelis, who now
lives in Redford and is assistant sales man-
ager at Snethkamp Chrysler Jeep in the same
city. "Also, being in sales, it is a good business
practice to learn about other cultures, to be
more in tune with my client base:'
He met the Weisbergs more than 20
years ago when they bought a car from him
at another dealership. "Itzy and I became
friends at that time Scarvelis said. "I have
since sold just about every member of their
family cars at some point. Every time I have
a question about anything regarding my
Jewish friends, like what's a good Passover
gift to take to a seder, I call the Weisbergs."
Recently, the couple was at the dealership
for service on their car and they mentioned
the mezuzahs to Scarvelis.
"It turned out that a Jewish friend of mine
was celebrating a birthday, and a mezuzah
makes a nice gift," Scarvelis said. "So I
bought one. The design was a hamsa; yellow
script on a blue background. I liked the color
combination. The recipient was very happy
to receive it, and the mezuzah is currently
displayed in the close family friend's home in
Farmington Hills"
International Sales
Presented in decorative, floral gift boxes,
Weisberg's mezuzahs are each needlepointed
on a 2-inch by 5-inch canvas and placed in
cases that are specially made for her.
She begins the process by drawing the pat-