Hiddur Mitzvah swirl

 

 

How The Hiddur Mitzvah Project Works

Step 1 - Organize an event and request a kit from us

Once you have decided to hold an event and talked to us about the date and how many of each items you need we will send out a package with everything you need. This kit will include blank glass templates, glass mosaic pieces, and all instructions that you will need.

Step 2 - Make your mosaics

Spread out the materials provided and supply some Elmer's white glue. The particpants glue the glass mosaic pieces with the white glue onto the glass templates of the pieces they want to make, making sure to label the card with their name. There's virtually no wrong way to do this so use your imagination! When the glue is dried, put the cards in stacks of five, wrap them in Saran wrap and send everything back to us. That's it! You've just created your own custom glass that will become part of your piece of Gary Rosenthal Judaica. Leave the rest up to us!

Step 3 - We get your projects

The glass comes back safe and sound to us, all wrapped up on the sheets. Even if something does break during shipping, don't worry! When we fire it in the kiln it will melt right back together and look just like the rest of them.

Step 4 - Labeling the glass

If you were wondering how we make sure the right glass goes to the person who made it, this is how. As soon as the glass is taken off the project card with your name on it we label it with a unique code that tells us what organization it belongs to and what person made it. We use a special pen that won't come off even when the glass is fired in the kiln.

Step 5 - Getting the glass ready for the kiln

To make sure your glass comes out wonderful and the correct size and shape, any overhanging glass gets trimmed off with glass trimmers. We then fill in any gaps in the pieces with very fine glass that looks like sand called frit. This makes sure your glass keeps the right design and helps make the surface smooth.

Step 6 - Into the kiln

Now the glass is ready to go into the kiln to be fused into one solid piece. If it's a mezuzah we put a small piece of clear glass that has had a gold shin silkscreened onto it on top of your glass. We put the Hebrew letters on the top of dreidels in the same way. The glass will stay in the kiln overnight reaching nearly 1,500 degrees Farenheit.

Step 7 - The glass is finished

The glass comes out of the kiln fused into one solid, shiny piece that will last a lifetime and was made by you! Your Hiddur Mitzvah project is almost complete.

Step 8 - A finished piece of Gary Rosenthal Judaica!

Now that the glass is finished it is attached to the candlestick, tzedakah box, mezuzah, menorah, or whatever it was that you had chosen to make. We pack up the finished sculptures carefully, labeling them with who they belong to, and send the whole thing back to your group where all the participants will get their own custom, heirloom quality Gary Rosenthal sculpture!