Beautiful Tallits for women - handpainted silk - handcrafted in Israel

Beautiful tallits for women from Israel.

The Tallit – Jewish prayer shawl – is a commemoration of a kind of wrap that was worn by our forefathers.

After the Exile from Israel, they adopted the custom of the neighboring Bedouins of wearing the tallit as protection from the sun, and in this way the Tallit became an everyday garment.

The Tallit (talit, tallis), the Jewish prayer shawl, is a significant part in the lives of all Jewish men, and some Jewish women as well.

When praying the tallit brings a sense of spirituality on the person praying.

The Tallit is a classic Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah gift.

In the Book of Numbers (15:37-38) it is said:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying: speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes on the borders of their garments throughout their generations and that they put with the fringe the borders a ribband of blue.

The fringes serve as a reminder of God’s commandments.

The Tallith is made of wool, cotton or silk, in which worshipers enwrap during prayer or when observing the Commandment of Tzitzith (fringes).
Men wear a Tallith Katan (“small Tallith), which is also called Arba Kanfoth (four corners), during the day, but enwrap in a Tallith during Morning and Musaf Prayers. On Yom Kippur they enwrap in a Tallith during the entire day.

The custom of wearing a Talit varies from one ethnic community to another:

Ashkenazi Bar Mitzvah boys wear a Talit when they are called up to read from the Torah in the synagogue, whereas in the Sephardi community only married men wear a Talit.
In some communities the bridegroom wears a Talit during the chuppah marriage ceremony, and it is also customary to enshroud the deceased with a Tallit.

A Talis is made of white wool and strict observers ensure their Talis is made of the white wool of sheep from Eretz Israel.
The atara (decoration) made of silver thread has been added for adornment to the upper part of the Talis. The stripes are possibly a symbol of royalty in ancient Egypt, and perhaps even a commemoration of Joseph’s coat of many colors.

When a man enwraps in a Tallis he recites the blessing:

…who has sanctified us by thy commandments, and hast commanded us to enwrap ourselves in the fringed garment.

Tallitot and the Tefillin (phylacteries) have unquestionably become the most important of Jewish symbols.

Nowadays, Bat Mitzvah girls who wish to be called up to read from the Torah in the synagogue, and learn the portion of the week from the Bible and the Haftarah portion of the Prophets, enwrap in a Tallit and cover their heads when they are called up to read from the Torah.
Adult women returning to their roots, too, celebrate bat mitzvah and enwrap in a Tallit when they are called up to read from the Torah.
Bat mitzvah girls choose a kosher bat mitzvah Tallit that has fringes in accordance with Jewish religious laws, and an atarah, and has some fashionable features as well.
Adult women choose a Tallit that has been specially designed for women and are called Tallit Nashim or women’s Tallitot. Enjoy!

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Ethiopian Jewish in Israel

The Ethiopian Jews in Ethiopia lived primarily in villages in the north and Northwest of the country, far from their Christian neighbors, with separate social and economic institutions and conditions.

Their story is a fascinating example of Jewish perseverance and survival despite time, trial and tribulation.

It is a story of people long isolated from the rest of the Jewish world. That separation was so complete, that at one point, the Ethiopian Jews thought themselves the only remaining Jewish community in the world - the last guardians of Jewish knowledge, tradition and the "Torah of Moses." The Ethiopian Jews struggled mightily to retain that tradition and guard it from outside forces that would see it assimilated, conquered and destroyed. As a result, throughout Ethiopian history, they often fell sacrifice to Christian kings, wars and oppression.

That struggle continued in different forms even after the arrival of the Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Their homecoming, joyous as it was, was marked by a lack of acceptance, as state religious institutions did not officially recognize their status and Jews. These institutions made life hard for Ethiopian immigrants, and in some ways still do.

The first trickle of Ethiopian Jewish immigrants to Israel began in the 1950s when 50 children were brought to study in Israel and return to Ethiopia as teachers. In the 1970s, individual Ethiopian activists and their families began crossing into Israel via Sudan. These journeys represent a crucial and important moment in Ethiopian Jewish History.

The dream of returning to Jerusalem, rejoining the Jewish Nation and building a state together seemed on the verge of coming true. In 1977, due to pressure from various quarters, then Prime Minister Menachem Begin proclaimed, "bring me the Ethiopian Jews," and the floodgates were opened. This set the stage for the mass exodus that took place in the mid-1980s.

In 1977 30 families came. Between 1977 - 1984, 3000-4000 Ethiopian Jews came to Israel, primarily from the Tigrae region. "Operation Moses" brought another 8,000, mostly from Gonder. During that Aliyah, approximately 4,000 lost their lives in the desert wastes and refugee camps of Sudan. "Operation Solomon" saw another 15,000 Ethiopian Jews reach Israel, and small groups have continued to congregate in Addis Ababa, and immigrate ever since. Today there are approximately 85,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel, 20,000 of who were born here.

The story of the Ethiopian Jews by no means ends with Aliyah. Their absorption and integration into Israeli society has been a long road of challenges, successes and difficulties. Some of the obstacles they faced were objective ones - such as the dislocation of moving from a developing nation to a modern industrialized one. Others were the products of institutions and authorities - such as the problems the community still faces with regards to religion, education, employment and housing.

The Ethiopian Jews are now counting their second decade in Israel, and their successes surely outweigh the difficulties they have faced. The community is grateful to all those individuals and institutions who were part of their immigration process, and who support them as they integrate into Israeli society. They hope that the process will only grow easier as they go.

Ethiopian Jewish in Israel crafts