KENSINGTON METAL SCULPTOR GARY ROSENTHAL DESIGNS AND CRAFTS GIFTS AND JUDAICA FOR HANUKKAH

Santa’s workshop isn’t the only busy one this time of year. In Kensington, Md., artisans at The Gary Rosenthal Collection are checking their lists twice and fulfilling orders for Hanukkah which falls this year on December 8. They are creating menorot, fused glass dreidels—alone and in stands--and a range of Hanukkah gifts and Judaica such as candlesticks, tzedakah boxes [charity banks], mezuzot and more.

            Hanukkah means “dedication,” noted the collection’s founder and design director Gary Rosenthal, a welded metal sculptor and pioneer in contemporary Judaica. He admits to feeling blessed: “I’ve made functional art that’s beautiful for more than 30 years.

            “This year I’ve introduced some new designs to the collection’s several dozen menorah options,” said Rosenthal. “The newest menorot are inspired by on-trend colors and we’ve launched a series of oil menorot. In addition some are in art deco styles, I combine others with dreidels, there are  traditional tree-of life adaptations, bars of glass and whimsical designs. We also design pieces for lawyers, musicians, and newlyweds.

            “Each of the two oil menorot  reproduce the 168 B.C.E. miracle most closely,” added Rosenthal. “That’s when a day’s worth of oil burned for an astonishing eight days.” To underscore the season’s most visible symbols, the steel architecture of the 24-inch wide oil menorah also accommodates a dreidel. The miniature oil menorah is enhanced with a dreidel design laser-cut from steel.

            Regarding the introduction of designer colors to a classic menorah design, Rosenthal, who works with his team of 12 artisans at the studio, explained: “For the decorative fused glass element we looked to color forecasts and research so our sculptures coordinate with fashionable interior design. We call them: ‘Spring Green,’ ‘Sea Breeze,’ ‘Morning Sky’ and ‘Golden Gelt.’” [Gelt is Yiddish for money]. “To achieve the look of a sunrise,” Rosenthal explained, “we combined a half circle of glass mosaic with arcs of steel, embellished with brass and copper.” Rosenthal is also introducing a signed and numbered limited edition menorah in these designer colors which incorporates a dreidel in its design.

            Dreidels, a child’s Hanukkah game for most, are the focus of art at The Gary Rosenthal Collection. Rosenthal transforms the traditional holiday top into artwork suitable for year-round display by handcrafting stands of brass, steel, and copper that set these dreidels apart. The tops are also made by the Maryland artisans.

            “The fused art glass dreidel, suspended in a sculpted setting, looks like contemporary art from across the room. As you get closer, you recognize the elements. Some reflect Jewish themes, others celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah or a wedding,”      

            Rosenthal expects people to use the fused glass dreidels as tops. They feature the traditional letters on each of four sides: נ (Nun), ג (Gimmel), ה (Hay) and ש (Shin). Typical of dreidels made outside of Israel, these letters represent the phrase "A great miracle happened there.” In Israel the fourth side of a dreidel would be marked פ (Pey), representing the word “here” hence “A great miracle happened here.”

            Jewish history and its symbolism inspire the entire collection of sculpted welded metals and fused glass and Rosenthal never tires of sharing the stories and traditions. He explains why children and adults celebrate the season by spinning the dreidel and ‘gambling’ for gelt—gold foil-covered chocolate coins: “Jews had to study the Torah in secret from the time that the Romans sacked Jerusalem to the Spanish Inquisition.  When soldiers came upon a group of Jewish students, the scholars hid the Torah, played games with a dreidel, and gambled as a diversion that saved them from certain death.”

           The collection is available online and in stores nationwide and Rosenthal designs one-of-a-kind commissions. Visit www.collectgaryrosenthal.com for store listings and to see the online catalog for the assortment. Retail prices for production dreidels on stands range from $70 to $150 and for production menorot: oil, $110 to $250, [oil inserts sold separately]. Designer series menorot: $100. Limited edition designer menorah with dreidel: $130.Other menorot: $80 to $350.