Sarah's Tent - Judaica

The first book of the Five Books of Moses, Genesis, provides much material about Abraham, but little about his wife, Sarah. Yet what is written, and what the commentaries write about Sarah, gives us an idea of what a righteous woman she was. Sarah's tent, commentaries tell us, was always open to welcome guests, and her bread "was blessed", enabling Sarah to feed all who came to her. God's presence was said to hover near her tent, and Sarah's attitude of welcome and acceptance was what her son Isaac wanted his bride to see when he brought Rebecca to Sarah's tent.

Sarah's Tent, one of Tzfat's finest Judaica art galleries also offers such a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Meir and Sarah Knafo, immigrants from Montreal, opened Sarah's Tent on Tzfat's Alkabetz Street several years ago, and it has slowly developed as one of Tzfat's most elegant and stylish galleries.

Sarah's Tent is located in the Old Jewish Quarter of Tzfat, near the synagogues, in an excavated building which dates back several hundred years. The original structure of the building was preserved during its renovation, and visitors find themselves browsing under the old stone domed ceilings and walls where Tzfat's Kabbalists of the Middle Ages once lived.

Vibrant and Original Judaica

Sarah's Tent represents some of Israel's most stylish Judaica, and puts to rest the idea that mezuzzas (doorpost parchment boxes), Kiddush (ritual wine) cups, menorahs (candelabras for Chanukah) and candlesticks must be made of brass and look like they were made in the Russia of the 1800s. Sarah's Tent's Judaica is colorful, graceful, and creative, with vibrant colors and imaginative designs. For someone who has grown up with traditional silver and brass ritual objects, the innovative designs exhibited in Sarah's Tent are original, and inspire one to explore their spiritual depths.

Sarah's Tent has also carefully cultivated a collection of painters whose Jewish and Israel-themed art works are thoughtful and meaningful to collectors of Jewish art.

Exuberant and Exciting Paintings

Avi Ben Simhoni's canvas originals are light and airy, with brilliant colors and vivid lines which evoke a joy of living. His works are influenced by the Fauvist and Cubist schools, and he says that his works are a marriage of beauty and complication, something that one feels when gazing at his art.

Calman Shemi is another artist whose paintings are an explosion of color and texture, evoking exuberance and energy. Shemi developed the concept of soft painting, in which he layers irregularly shaped pieces of variously textured and colored fabrics onto his drawings, which have previously been drawn to scale. The fabrics are then meshed to one another and to the background, and the resulting compositions are infused with color and excitement.

David Schluss, Isaac Maimon, Lenner Gogli, Sveta Esser, Alex Pauker, Natalie Rozenbaum, Bracha Guy and Gabriella Fenyves are just some of the other artists and artisans represented by Sarah's Tent.

Sarah's Tent is located on 56 Alkabetz Street in Tzfat's Old Jewish Quarter. They can be contacted at 972-4-6923378