72 | MARCH 31 • 2022 A chuppah, or marriage canopy, is the focal point of a Jewish wedding ceremony. It sym- bolizes the first home the couple will share. Biblically speaking, the chuppah, with its draped fabric open on all sides signaling hospitality to guests, also represents the tent that was the first Jewish home of Abraham and Sarah. To further adorn the chup- pah, a pair of artists, one from Michigan and one from Tennessee, collaborated to add a new twist to the chup- pah tradition by creating a wooden overhang to adorn the entrance of the canopy. A unique keepsake gift bearing the Hebrew words Ani L ’dodi, v’dodi Li (I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine), it can then be installed over the entrance of a doorway or a fireplace mantel to serve as a reminder of the couple’s wed- ding day long after the wed- ding day is over. The designers of the chup- pah topper — along with a line of colorful, whimsical wooden Judaica pieces — are Amy Sternberg of West Bloomfield and Shannon Brown of Chattanooga, Tenn. The artists found each other on Etsy, a creative artisan online marketplace platform, and have put their creative energies into Judaica artwork for about two years. With her eye for color and design, Sternberg customizes and hand paints gifts such as children’s furniture to desk accessories and sells them on her website, Artworks by Amy. A few years back, she also began to create Judaica when her daughters, now grown and one a rabbi in New Jersey, asked her to design pieces like a Shabbat board with tealight candle cutouts. “I am always doodling; that’s how I relax, ” Sternberg said. Wood-cut chuppah topper becomes a keepsake for the couple’s home. Chuppah Adornments STACY GITTLEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY STERNBERG Shabbat plate with tea light can- dle cutout Ron Lieberman Photography Andrea Solomon Wedding and Event Planner Perfection made simple (248) 535-0402 andrea@andreasolomon.com Day Of - On Site Management Invitations • Candy Tables Place Cards • Calligraphy Napkins • Guest Towels Favors • Gifts • Kippas Hotel and Amenities Baskets Ron Lieberman Photography www.andreasolomon.com andreasolomon2554@gmail.com Let Old Friends be your Michigan-Florida Connection Keyes Real Estate Estate Property Sales from Listing to Clean-Out! Buy • Sell • InveSt Throughout South Florida, Including Boca, Boynton, Delray, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties Nina Spinner-Sands NinaSpinner-Sands@keyes.com (954) 290-8293 Rita Morse RitaMorse@keyes.com (305) 609-7559 Get The Detroit Jewish News print edition delivered to your door every week for less than $2 per issue. thejewishnews.com/subscription Stay in the know with all things Jewish... Subscribe Today!