THE TEMPLE JUDEA MUSEUM

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel

Announces

A UNIQUE WORK OF CONTEMPORARY JUDAICA

A limited edition of 350 sterling silver kiddush cups
Designed by American silver artist, Meryl Sheetz  

 

1654 - 2004

Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof……

                                                 Leviticus 25:10
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Click on photo to see enlarged copy

Proclaim Liberty………
A cup created for Kiddush, the blessing over wine
and inspired by the celebration of
350 years of the flourishing of Jewish life in America.

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SPECIFICATIONS:

The cup is $350.00. plus $9.95 for shipping. (No shipping charges)
Thirty-six cups have a gold wash interior and sell for $400.00.
The Kiddush cup and the base are two separate pieces.
The cup and the base together are 5 inches high. The cup itself is 2 ¾ inches in diameter. Both the cup and the base are Sterling silver and weigh approximately 200 grams. The cup can be engraved. The cup is a limited edition of 350 pieces.

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THE PROJECT:

In Jewish observance ritual wine has been blessed by the recitation of the kiddush for centuries throughout the world. This cup, Proclaim Liberty… is dedicated to the celebration of the kiddush as inspired by the freedom of religion which is a hallmark of the American dream.  

 

BACKGROUND:

In 2004 the Temple Judea Museum observed the 350th anniversary of the arrival of Jews in America by means of a year - long series of exhibitions. However, because exhibitions fade away into memory,  the museum decided to mark this important milestone anniversary in another way. The Temple Judea Museum has chosen to commission a permanent object, a museum quality, limited edition, sterling silver kiddush cup. What better occasion to commemorate in this manner than the celebration of three hundred and fifty years of Jewish life in America?

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INSPIRATION:

To find the inspiration for this unique celebratory kiddush cup, the museum reached back into the history of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, the temple of which the museum is a part, and, at the same time, to the history of the American Jewish experience. The cup’s imagery is inspired by a stained glass window in the temple’s Neumann Chapel. The window illustrates the founding of the United States of America in 1776. Pictorial elements included by artist William Haley, of the Rambusch Studios, New York, contain references to the flag of the new country, the American bald eagle, and the Liberty Bell, with its inspiring inscription from Leviticus 25:10 – Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land to All the Inhabitants Thereof…. . The exquisite poetry of the biblical phrase plunges this cup’s history back, not to 1654 or 1776, but back to the biblical age. This moving, ancient call is heralded by the image of a traditional shofar, a ram’s horn. 

This cup symbolizes the mutuality of Jewish tradition and history and American tradition and history, in this case, as interpreted by artists and craftsmen strung across generations. This country’s first flag, designed by Betsy Ross in 1776, is an American icon, as is the Liberty Bell, commissioned in 1751 to honor the fiftieth anniversary of William Penn’s Charter of Privileges – Pennsylvania’s original Constitution. The stained glass window was dedicated in 1959 and, now, in 2004, silver artist, Meryl Sheetz, has brought these influences together in her beautiful design. By integrating experiences of American and Jewish history she has created a new way of looking at the commonality of the American story, one that is unique, and uniquely touching. Thus, this contemporary Judaica, the Proclaim Liberty… cup, becomes one small part of the totality of 350 years of Jewish life in America.

Click here for ordering information

SPECIFICATIONS:

The Kiddush cup and the base are two separate pieces. The cup and the base together are 5 inches high. The cup itself is 2 ¾ inches in diameter. Both the cup and the base are sterling silver and weigh approximately 200 grams. The cup can be engraved. The cup is a limited edition of 350 pieces. Of these 36 contain a gold washed interior for the cup and are sold at a different price.
The Proclaim Liberty …..
      10% Discount for Temple Judea Museum members
      10% Discount for Keneseth Israel members
          (20% Discount for members of both of the above  organizations)

For information:
The Temple Judea Museum                                                              TJMuseum@aol.com
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel                                                      (215) 887-2027
8339 Old York Road
Elkins Park, PA 19027

Click-> Order your Kiddush Cup(s)  Using Check or Credit Card by phone

Click-> Order your Kiddush Cup(s)  Using PayPal or Credit Card on-line

Click-> Rabbi Sussman's Message

Click-> Artist's Background

 

Click->The Temple Judea Museum Page

 

 

Temple Judea Museum Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel  Director/Curator: Rita Rosen Poley Museum  Chair: Karen Shain Schloss Corner Old York and Township Line Roads  Elkins Park, PA, 19027 Museum hours. Mon. - Fri.: 1- 4:OOPM Fri. eves. Before services Accessible facility Groups welcome and tours available by appointment

(215) 887-2027 (215) 887-1070 (Fax) TJMuseum@aol.com