Jewish art for Jerusalemites of all stripes

In an upper-floor apartment on Bereniki Street, Abramson and his team of eight designers spend their days creating brightly colored works and branding pieces for Jerusalem organizations.

By YAEL BRYGEL
The Ushpizot series for Succot features 22 female personalities from biblical times to contemporary Israel (photo credit: MAOZ VISTUCH & ELAD LIFSHITZ)
The Ushpizot series for Succot features 22 female personalities from biblical times to contemporary Israel
(photo credit: MAOZ VISTUCH & ELAD LIFSHITZ)
Not much can characterize the kaleidoscopic nature of religious identity in Jerusalem better than Dov Abramson’s graphic design studio in the Katamonim neighborhood.
In an upper-floor apartment on Bereniki Street, Abramson and his team of eight designers spend their days creating brightly colored works and branding pieces for Jerusalem organizations across the religious spectrum, including Bnei Akiva, Masorti Olami and the Reform movement’s Israel Religious Action Center, as well as clients at the forefront of innovation such as PresenTense and the Avi Chai Foundation.
Abramson’s own art explores and pushes the boundaries of Jewish identity and religious practice. An artistic representation of the Jewish calendar that he created is currently exhibited at the Israel Museum and a project exploring Yerushalayim shel mata – the physical, mundane side of Jerusalem – was on display recently at the Tower of David Museum as part of the Jerusalem Biennale for Contemporary Jewish Art.
“I’m obsessed with religious identity,” explained Abramson on a recent Friday at his studio.
As befits a graphic design studio of this nature, his personal journey and religious affiliation defies categorization; the 40-year-old father of three has removed the kippa that was placed firmly on his head in his youth, yet is entrenched in religious discourse and still experiences a moment of loss each day at sundown when he is reminded of the Minha prayer service that he is once again missing.
“I never really did the full 180 from religious to secular,” explains Abramson, who grew up in an Orthodox household that he reflects upon with great affection.
Today, Abramson and his wife, Sarit, are members of Zion: An Eretz Yisraeli Community in Baka, with its slogan “Come as you are,” which seeks to bring together congregants from across the spectrum for services that combine Sephardi piyutim, Ashkenazi melodies and modern Hebrew poetry, while also reviving unique ancient forms of Eretz Yisrael prayer.
Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, Abramson is the son of an Orthodox rabbi who was ordained by the late Rabbi Soloveitchik. His parents moved with him and his two siblings to Israel in the 1980s, settling for the first few years in Arad, a period that was fraught with difficulties for him as a young immigrant, but also provided him with valuable insight into concepts of otherness that inspire much of his work today. Abramson channeled his frustration at the time into drawing and art.
“It wasn’t an easy period for me,” explains the Bezalel Academy graduate, “but as an outsider immigrant, I came to understand Israeli society and feelings of exclusion,” he explains.
Indeed, these are themes that are covered not only in Abramson’s artwork but also in the merchandise he creates together with his team, which is sold online, in stores around Jerusalem and also at his studio.
These pieces, for the most part, tie in to the Jewish calendar.
Most notable among them are a line of egalitarian Simhat Torah flags that feature young girls and boys holding Torah scrolls and dancing together.
His Ushpizot series for Succot, featuring 22 female personalities from biblical times through to contemporary Israel, is a modern, female-focused take on the traditional ushpizin custom, where tribute is paid to a different male personality from Jewish history on each night of Succot.
An eclectic mix of characters are represented in the poster set – from the Matriarchs, Deborah the Prophetess and Miriam, to Leah Goldberg, Hannah Szenes, Golda Meir and even acclaimed singer Ofra Haza.
“We did a lot of research and consulted with a lot of people about who to include,” says Abramson. “Our intention was to enable different people to choose a handful of characters from the c o l l e c t i o n that they are comfortable with. If someone wants Sarah on their wall and not Ofra Haza, that’s fine, too.”
And, for Hanukka, the studio has ventured into less topical territory, with a Space Invaders-themed T-shirt with the words “The few against the many” printed on it. They price at NIS 75 each.
Members of Abramson’s team have also been given free rein to create 65 custom-designed mezuza cases that will sell for NIS 168, connecting to the theme of hanukkat habayit – referring both to the rededication of the Second Temple on Hanukka as well as a housewarming.
Upcoming projects include a Seder plate that will sell for NIS 240.
“Ultimately, our aim is to have a full-year cycle of products,” explains Abramson, who is also focusing on making his products available online to overseas markets.
In the lead-up to last Shavuot, the studio worked on a project together with Reshut Harabim, printing thousands of copies of a map that showed where all-night study sessions were taking place across the city. The map showed sessions at the Great Synagogue, Beit Avi Chai, the Conservative Yeshiva, the Reform movement’s Hebrew Union College and more, with talks given on a variety of subjects by rabbis and laypeople – men and women alike. This project reflects the deep level of respect that Abramson has for diversity.
“I don’t think you can be pluralistic only for the pluralistic community,” he asserts. “I believe in a meta-pluralism that respects people across the board.”