Novel Judaica Highlights Artisans Festival at Temple Emanu-El

Photos and Story by Cailin Acosta

SAN DIEGO – Bringing ideas into life by creating them with your hands is a talent many people don’t think they have unless they make the time to try. I had the privilege to attend the Temple Emanu-El Artisan Festival on Sunday, Nov. 3 and discuss art techniques while making new friends.

Cecile Fleetwood is a longtime member of Temple Emanu-El who teaches jewelry making and sells her own creations, including dreidel, hamantaschen, and hamza earrings  She also makes pottery pieces that were fired in a kiln. Fleetwood has always been artistic, and her mother influenced her to be creative. Growing up, she watched the television show Captain Kangaroo and was inspired by “Mr. Bunny Rabbit” who had a creativity box. Her mother put a creativity box together for Fleetwood when she was four years old. Another memory was when her father came home from work and had a hole in his pocket, and she figured out how to hand stitch the hole together.

She has tried knitting, crocheting and cross stitching but found these to be difficult and patterns hard to follow. She labeled herself as an “impulsive crafter.” She learned watercolor painting during the COVID pandemic and made Rosh Hashanah cards for her friends.

One of her talents is finding crafts to create with children. She showed me pictures from the Nov. 1 Dia de Los Muertos Family Shabbat night at Temple Emanu-El. Children and even adults created beautiful picture frames for images of their deceased relatives and friends.

Rabbi Devorah Marcus created a beautiful one with red pom poms on it. During Family Shabbat nights at Temple Emanu-El, Fleetwood incorporates a craft for the kids to do. She also coordinates the crafts for the Sunday Torah School and told me about making mezuzahs with the fourth graders. The next craft she has planned is making two-by-two animal necklaces as the students will be learning about Noah’s Ark.

*

Stacy Cohen is Fleetwood’s sister who drove down from Costa Mesa. Artistic talent is evident with these sisters. Cohen, who  attends a Reform synagogue in Costa Mesa, showed me the necklace she was wearing that had a large green bead her son gave her. It inspired her to make a wired beaded necklace with strands going through the bead. She decided to name her Etsy store “Looming Inspiration” since something always sparks inspiration to create.

She told me of the many media she has used to create earrings and many of them take a long process, but the outcome is worth it. Cohen discussed receiving more positive feedback from sales when she is a vendor at craft fairs than when she sells on Etsy. Pictures are hard to capture the element when the shopper can touch and feel the product in person. She discussed in detail her joy and love in creating and making time for her craft and hopes she can make this her full-time job one day since she enjoys it so much.

Not only does Cohen make jewelry she also weaves and has been weaving for about 20 years. She did not have any of her items at the festival but showed me a picture of a tallit she made her husband when they got married and he still uses it to this day. She also weaved one for her father-in-law which they inherited when he passed away. Right now, she is currently making a tallit for a client who told Cohen he wanted it in earth tones, so she has incorporated browns and blues to symbolize the ocean which they live near. She also sews and makes clothes.

*

Marcia Berneger is a children’s author, on the Sisterhood board, teaches Transitional Kindergarten and Torah School at Temple Emanu-El. She wrote A Dreidel in Time in 2019, and it has been sent out to children enrolled in the PJ Library Our Way program which is geared toward children ages 8-12 years old who receive a free Jewish book each month. Berneger’s book is part children’s fantasy but also historical fiction with the true story of Chanukah.

While researching the plot of her book, Berneger got inspiration from reading how George Washington used techniques the Maccabees used to fool their enemies which led to the victory of winning the Revolutionary War. The idea of having children spin the dreidel and going back in time became the premise of her children’s book. Berneger signed a copy for my 12-year-old twins, and they were happy to receive it.

*

Carin Pratt of Rockin’ P Studios is a fused art glass artist. Although not Jewish, she was encouraged by her massage therapist to create chanukiahs with her glass work. She purchases sheets of glass that are made in Portland, Oregan. She creates her patterns and fuses them together in a kiln. Pratt’s creations are dishwasher safe and resistant to deterioration.

Although they are safe in the dishwasher, she does not recommend putting them in the microwave or oven. Her motto of her glasswork is that it is functional and useful art for everyday use. When talking about the chanukiahs we discussed the importance of the shamash being taller than the other candle ports. I asked about the glue used and she had unpleasant experiences with Gorilla Glue holding the candle ports in place. She uses Hxtal Two Part Epoxy Glue she purchases from Ashville, Carolina and it has maintained its grip.

*

It was a pleasant afternoon schmoozing and discussing art with like-minded people. I was in awe of the many items on display and was inspired to make more time for my crafting as well.

*

Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.