שנה טובה, shana tova, good year, my fellow gifted thrifters and thrifty gifters!
Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year, began this month – it’s now 5784. And we’re in the ten Days Of Awe of the High Holy Days / Holidays – ending with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Then it’s on to Sukkot, our 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. And I love presenting it on social media. Join me here and elsewhere in December for my eighth annual Mycroft’s Menorah Mishigas.
If you want to thrift Judaica offline, it really helps to be in a Jewish area. I’m so fortunate to have lived in Boston and Gaithersburg. If you don’t have a local Jewish community, and/or if you want to see what the whole country has to offer, search ShopGoodwill.com – 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 — and you might find even better bargains. You may also want to join me in the Judaica Thrifting Facebook Group.
Let’s look at some of the best Jewish items I’ve seen on DC Goodwill’s Shop Goodwill site lately. First, a super seasonal item – a pomegranate, one of the biggest Rosh Hashanah symbols. I love them, to look at and eat.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/170611220
Sterling Silver CZ Synthetic Stone Flower Sun Pacifier Open Circle Pendant Lot
Sukkot, the Harvest festival, ends with Simchat Torah, where we celebrate finishing reading our Bible again (we read the whole thing every year), and with Shemini Atzeret, when we pray for rain. Here is some artwork of Bereshit, Beginning, Genesis – the beginning of the Torah. And a siddur, prayer book, with a fabulous cover featuring the Ten Commandments tablets.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/177328437
Vintage Signed Genesis Chapter 1 Menorah King Of David 10×13″ 159/500 print
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/171735588
Vintage Siddur Avodat Hebrew W/ English Translation Jewish Prayer Book
Here is a kiddush cup. The Holidays last for ten days, so they include two Shabbats, which include kiddush – the blessing of wine or grape juice, with challah bread and refreshments. Most Holy Days services end with a special kiddush. And every Shabbat ends with the havdalah ritual, marking the transition to a new week. Too, Yom Kippur is the “Shabbat of Shabbats”, and that havdalah marks the end of a twenty-four-hour fast.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/175291710
Sterling Silver Etched Initial Design Kiddush Cup 65g
Here is a tchotchke of a rabbi, and a print of a cantor. The former looks blue figuratively, the latter literally. Nu, the Holidays are really hard for them!
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/167550027
Vintage Signed Austin Productions D Klass Jewish Rabbi Resin Sculpture 15″
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/176077137
The Cantor 1966 Print Signed Ida Libby Dengrove 20″x16″
Fiddler On The Roof is very similar to the story of my paternal Jewish family.
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/173189801
“Tevye” By Tammerin Fiddler On The Roof Framed & Signed 94/250 32 x 27″
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/175837264
Marc Chagall Fiddler On The Roof Lithograph
A pendant that says ahava, love, in Hebrew – in the style of Robert Indiana’s famous 1964 “LOVE” graphic. And a lot that includes both Magen David (my favorite Jewish symbol) and Mizpah coin pendants (and this listing is actually how I learned about that concept!). AND, a lot that includes pendants in Magen David, chai (“life”), and hamsa (I blogged about hamsas here in March)!
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/171452909
14K Yellow Gold AXS Symbol Pendant Broken 16″ Chain Necklace Jewelry 6g
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/172911854
.925 Sterling Silver Semi Precious Gemstone Assorted Jewelry Lot
https://shopgoodwill.com/item/171247167
.925 Silver Pink Topaz Onyx Cultured Pearl Hamsa Hand Open Star Necklace Lot 31g
Todah rabah, many thanks, for taking this Jewish journey with me today! May you have a meaningful month. Meet me back here in October, when I’ll be speaking about something seasonal – maybe dragons.
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