שנה טובה, shana tova, good year, my fellow gifted thrifters and thrifty gifters! Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, begins Sunday, September 25th. It will be Jewish year 5783. And we will enter the ten Days Of Awe of the High Holy Days / Holidays – ending with Yom Kippur, the Day Of Atonement. Then on to Sukkot, the Harvest festival.
Nu, as a Jewish person and leader, one of my very favorite things to curate and collect is Judaica — Jewish art and ritual objects. My tribe has a very long tradition of creating all kinds of unique, beautiful, useful items for daily and holiday life. And you would be amazed at the quantity and quality of Judaica that shows up in thrift stores! That’s where I’ve found most of mine.
For offline thrifting, this works best if you live in a Jewish area. I’m so fortunate to have lived in Boston until 2014, and then here near DC. If you don’t have a local Jewish community, and/or if you want to see what the whole country has to offer, search for Judaica on ShopGoodwill.com. My Saved Searches include many Jewish terms. And don’t forget to check out the Religious Items category. Too, Goodwills in locations with few Jews often have a hard time recognizing Jewish items, so think outside the box when searching — and you may well find even better bargains.
I love presenting my Judaica on social media. The centerpiece of my collection is my many menorahs — the seven-light candelabras created for our ancient Temples, and the nine-light ones invented much later for Hanukkah. And most of mine are thrifted! Join me here and elsewhere in December for my 7th annual Mycroft’s Menorah Mishigas.
Now, let’s look at some of the best Jewish items I’ve seen on DC Goodwill’s Shop Goodwill site this year.
In 1981, Stella Schraft turned a Rosh Hashanah card she received into this painting.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/146685968 – Signed Jewish New Year Oil Painting Stella Schraft Nov 1981 14×18″
During the High Holy Days, we pray to be inscribed in the Book Of Life for another year – so here are several pendants in the form of the Hebrew word chai, life.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/150737838 – .925 Silver Kathy Bransfield Engraved Quote Chai Symbol Circle Pendant Necklace
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/144081941 – 14k Yellow Gold Jewish Chai Y’all Charm Pendant 1.2g
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/142887660 – Gold Plated Textured Jewish Chai Symbol Charm Pendant Lot 8.0g
Because the Holidays last for ten days, they include two Shabbats, which as usual, include kiddush – the blessing of ritual wine or grape juice, usually accompanied by challah bread and followed by refreshments. And most Holy Days services end with a special kiddush.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/141559699 – Jewish Sabbath Shabbos Kiddush Cup Silver Plated By Sandra Kravitz
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/146686805 – 6″ Stone Decanter With Stopper And 6 2.5″ Stone Cups
And every Shabbat ends with the havdalah ritual, marking the transition to a new week. Too, Yom Kippur is known as the Shabbat of Shabbats, and that havdalah marks the end of a twenty-four-hour fast.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/142096768 – Emanuel Glass And Handmade Candle Holders With Stand Travelers Prayer
One of the most distinctive things about the Holy Days is that we blow the shofar, made from a ram’s horn, as we have since ancient times. I love hearing a sound that Jews have made and heard for millennia!
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/141494183 – Classic Natural Ram’s Horn Shofar 9.5 X 3.5 X 2
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/145465230 – 21” White Shafar Rams Horn
During these Holidays, as always, we remember and reflect on both our sorrows and joys, past and present. Our first two Temples were destroyed in ancient times, but alas, many synagogues have been destroyed by anti-semitism since, including in this decade. The hora is a linked, circular, celebratory dance, best known for its use at Jewish weddings – where it usually includes some of the dancers carrying the couple on chairs.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/140755442 – Destroyed Temple 516/700 Signed Mark A Strauss Print 19×27
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/141162481 – 12″ Austin Metal Sculpture “Hora Dance Group”
Todah rabah, many thanks, for taking this Jewish journey with me today! May you have a meaningful month. Meet me back here around this time in October, when I’ll be talking about something seasonal. Maybe dragons!!
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