Page 9 - The Jewish Voice - December '23

The Jewish Voice, Page 9

Local Happenings from page 8 Benzaiten Center for

In this moving and emotional ceremony, many Creative Arts
attendees were brought to tears as they witnessed
the miracle of the survival of these Torahs. The An Unforgettable Night of Glassblowing —
Memorial Torahs, including one housed at Temple South Florida Studio Showdown
Emanu-El, represented a selection of the 1,564
Czech Torahs that survived the war. These Torahs Benzaiten Center for Creative Arts
that Jewish communities had sent to the Jewish For more information: (561) 508-7315
Museum in Prague in hopes of their safekeeping www.benzaitencenter.org
from Nazi destruction during the war were then On Friday, Dec. 15,
housed in a synagogue outside of Prague before The Benzaiten Center is
being sent to London. The program celebrated hosting an extravaganza
the 60th anniversary of this transport to London. of a glassblowing event!
From London, the MST allocated the Torahs on They are bringing in the top
loan to synagogues and communities around the world for Temple Emanu-El’s clergy led the program: Rabbi glassblowers of South Florida
safekeeping and memorialization. Michael Resnick offered words of commemoration and to perform together in their
The program was dedicated to the memory of the 6 million Cantor Meir Finkelstein gave a musical presentation with newly expanded hot shop,
Jews who perished during the Holocaust, approximately piano accompaniment by Claudio Waisgluss. Guest speakers which now is the largest
78,000 of whom were from Czechoslovakia, and in honor included Jeffrey Ohrenstein, chair of the MST; and Lois of its kind in the state of
of those who survived. It also commemorated Kristallnacht, Roman, trustee of MST and their U.S. Representative based Florida. In the first part of the Glassblown Bonsai Tree by
the Night of Broken Glass (November 9-10, 1938). on the East Coast. demonstration, each artist will Center’s Creative Director
work at a separate station to Eli Cecil
create their own work of art.
During the last half they will collaborate on one large work.
Each piece will be donated to the center for sale to help
NO ONE SAVES support their many children and young adult programs.

MORE LIVES IN ISRAEL

IN TIMES OF CRISIS. Glassblown Windstar by Glassblown Neo-RomanVase

by Brenna Baker
Rob Stern
The extraordinary lineup includes world-renowned artist
Rob Stern. Rob has held workshops all over the globe and is
annually featured at the Pilchuck School of Glass in Seattle.
This is the famous school founded by artist Dale Chihuly. He
has also appeared on Netflix’s Blown Away. Brenna Baker, who
has also appeared on that same series, is founder and head artist
of Hollywood Hot Glass in Fort Lauderdale. A two-person team
hails from Fine Art Lamps. This company was founded in 1940
and creates some of the most high-end chandeliers and lighting
in America. They have their own huge hot shop in Miami. Their
Director of glass and design development, Frank Englesby, will
be part of this event along with fellow artisan Charlyn Reynolds.
This year the center had to raise the price of admission to
their Friday night artist blow-outs from $15 to $20 per person.
However, as always, this pays for three hours of live music,
dynamic glassblowing demonstrations, two drink tickets, and
nibbles. So it’s still an excellent deal for what you receive. All
of these evening blow-outs still run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Check out their website for all the fun classes, workshops,
visiting artist events, and fundraisers planned for this upcoming
season. Do not miss out on the fun!
www.benzaitencenter.org
(561) 508-7315
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Find us at 1105 2nd Ave. South, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460.
GPS does not always get you there so use the following
simple directions: Exit I-95 at 6th Ave. and go east. Take a left
at the Blue Kwik Stop store and then a right on 3rd Ave. S. Park
in our parking lot or anywhere on the street.

Local Happenings on page 10
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