BIO

Artist Life Retrospective

There are a few themes that run throughout my life:  A desire to learn Hebrew and do Torah and Kabbalah Learning.  Natural Healing, Healthcare and care of special needs individuals.  Visual Art, art history and studio art/ art making and supporting all the Arts.  A love for pets and animals.  A passion for plants, practicing and learning about horticulture, the environment and Nature. Psychic Arts, plant energies, Flower Essences and developing my intuition and natural abilities in this area.   I’ll discuss some of these passions, interests and activities here. 

My desire to learn Torah and develop my spiritual growth as a Jew has been a journey spanning most of my life.  As a child when I was sad, distressed or emotional I would read Tehillim (The Psalms) till I felt better. I also prayed in my own words to Creator God in nature or in the privacy of my room(Hitbotedut). A Jewish family friend, Shlomo Efrat, brought a chanukiah to our home and lit the candles for Channukah saying the blessings and singing the songs. I would continue lighting the candles for all eight nights on my own afterwards.   It would be later, after seeing Shindler’s list (1995), that my Jewish soul and the recurring dreams of The Holocaust made sense to me. I took on my pursuit of Jewish learning seriously after 9/11 (2001).  I actually bought my first Solomon Seal/ Magen David necklace to wear to mark the beginning of my journey.  I attended Hebrew lessons and started my Jewish Learning at Congregation Emanu-EL in Victoria BC.  A heritage site and the oldest active Synagogue in Canada.

 I had a leaning towards the traditional and sought help from Orthodox Rabbi Oren and Rena Gelb who were sent to Victoria by Aish Ha Torah.  In 2004 I made the trip to Israel to learn in Seminary Midreshet Berot Bat Ayin. I realized my potential there and became a fully recognized Jew through an Orthodox Conversion (Mikveh June 2005).  I was learning Torah from 2004-2011 with Rebbetzin Chana Brach Seigelbaum, Miriam Rhodes, Rav Daniel Kohen, Rav Avraham Shira and Rabbi Yosef Bennaroch and others.  In 2006 I made Aliyah becoming a citizen in Israel. I lived in Jerusalem for 2 years. I attended Shearim Seminary in Har Nof shortly and then worked, learnt, loved in Israel.  2007 I attended Yeshivat Simchat Shlomo and learnt with Rabbi Shalom and Judy Brodt, Rabbi Raz Hartman and Shaul Yudelman.  From 2008-2011 I lived and learnt in Bat Ayin again. 

The learning I did was a combination of the teachings of Rav Kook, Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and others from ancient and more recent history. I studied Halacha (Jewish Laws) and also Hassidic thought.  At Simchat Shlomo I was honored to study a course in EcoTorah also which covered the Torah resources supporting Tikkun Olam (fixing of the world) and environmental activism and conservation. 

Not everyone gets a nod from their ancestors but I did when before My Dad Died in 2020 we found out that there was Jewish DNA on his side of the family through a DNA study. I found this fascinating and on further DNA testing found there to be both Sephardic and Ashkenazi genes in our family. It was a vindicating moment to some degree.

In 2011 I returned to Canada where I re-found myself in a sense as a west coast woman born and raised in Victoria BC.  My past experience and education in Visual Art (1997 Victoria College of Art {now Edison College}) Floral Design and Horticulture (Horticulture Centre of the Pacific 2000) as well as passionate interests in healing (Reiki Master’s level 1994) and healthcare (HSA certificate Camosun College 1998) lead me to various positions and work experience over the years.   In 2019 I joined The Pandora Arts Collective Society and participate to this day with their studio sessions, twice yearly gallery shows and online Zoom art sessions. I also continue my Jewish learning and participate with Holidays and events with Congregation Emanu-El and Chabad of Vancouver Island.

In my childhood I had many artistic endeavors that were very ephemeral and also assembled the neighborhood kids and made creative projects with them.  As a teen I volunteered at Summer camps and taught art as a young adult in recreation center day camps. In high school I acted, curated and created costumes for school plays and dramatic events.   

My parents and artistic family influenced my journey as an artist over the years as well… sending me to painting courses and art courses as a child, harvesting clay locally sculpting with it and making things together.  Both my father and mother painted and sketched.  I had a paternal Aunt who was a Poet and painter later in life, a Sister into and teaching drama/ theatre and a brother who is a musician.  This family love of creativity extended to another maternal Aunt who is an artist as well. A love of the Arts resonated in our family and we attended Operas and theatre, musicals and choral events. Music lessons and participation in choirs was also a part of our upbringing instead of team sports. 

There’s more to me for sure but this is the basic journey of my spirit and soul towards an active life as a Jewish Artist.