#mizrach

[ahcult]

Lara Ditkoff, Ornamental mizrach illustration (2024), Digital

Featured in the 5785/2025 edition of the Radical Jewish Calendar for the month of Adar. The Radical Jewish Calendar is organized by Jewish month, layering Jewish and Gregorian dates, astrological happenings, holidays, and political history.

The Radical Jewish Calendar is organized by Jewish month, layering Jewish and Gregorian dates, astrological happenings, holidays, and political history. Twelve months of political art, culture, and history made by dreamers, artists, and organizers who want to know what time it is. 

This calendar features art of the Palestine solidarity movement, celebrating anti-Zionist history, exploring themes of doykeit/hereness/diasporism.

As always, the Radical Jewish Calendar celebrates Jewish culture that is intersectional, queer, feminist, anti-racist, and that challenges and builds a Judaism and Jewishness beyond Zionism.

This year, 18% of calendar sales will go to Palestinian-led organizations and movement work.

[estera-shirin]

Mizrach, Poland, 1920 CE

According to the museum: "Mizrah (Hebrew: מזרח "east") is the Hebrew word for "east" and the direction that Jews in the Diaspora face during prayer. Jewish law prescribes that Jews at prayer face the site of the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, "Mizrach" refers to an ornamental wall plaque used to indicate the direction of prayer in Jewish homes. In a synagogue, that direction would be obvious as it is the side of the building on which the ark was placed. But in a home or Sukkah the direction had to be indicated. It is customary in traditional Jewish homes and the Sukkah to mark the wall in the direction of Mizrach to facilitate proper prayer. For this purpose, people use artistic wall plaques inscribed with the word Mizrach and scriptural passages like "From the rising (mi-mizrah) of the sun unto the going down thereof, the Lord's name is to be praised" (Ps. 113:3), Kabbalistic inscriptions, or pictures of holy places. Such plaques were most often manuscript forms or printed sheets, ranging from the simplest idea of the word only to elaborately decorated pages with a wide range of images and texts. These plaques are generally placed in rooms in which people pray, such as the living room or bedrooms. The four letters of the Hebrew word MiZRaCH are sometimes indicated as the initial letters of the Hebrew phrase Metzad Zeh Ruach Chaim (From this side the source of life).

From the imagery used, lions and griffins as well as the character of a paper cut, this Mizrach was probably printed in Galicia. It, unfortunately, appears to have been cut off at the top, but is a very rare specimen of Mizrach. The combination of a Mizrach and the Tablets of the Law is not a common one."

Shabbat shalom my friends.

[juanepstein]

new mizrach!

[sketchtype]

A Mizrach.

Following the recent post of an old Mizrach I did in watercolour for a friend I have had the idea in the back of my head pondering what I would do for my own wall. Then a moment of inspiration flashed during a discussion about time. This contemporary graphic mizrach is the result and includes z'manim that indicate the daily halachic prayer times mapped for earliest, latest and ideal, along with three stars, and augmented with additional symbolism for meditation to inspire kavanah. The division of hours is presented as an even division of day and night that allows for an easy adjustment relative to the clock as the seasons change.

This was designed for me but everyone seems to really like it so I have made it available in the following two locations: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/75983816 https://society6.com/kieveryuu/wall-art?sort=new

[aztec-religion]

Montefiore mizrach From the estate of Moses Montefiore c. 19th C.

[sketchtype]

A TBT on Thursday this Mizrach was done sometime in late 2010. It is unfortunate that the only picture taken is while it was hanging on yellowish brown wall under a low wattage incandescent light.

[hebricajudaica]

The mizrach has been a focus for Jewish prayer and the subject of folk art for centuries. This one, in papercut art, is an original design hand-cut from fine and hand-made papers. Synagogue workshops available. The word mizrach means "east," the direction for prayer.