Yizkor Candle Covers

On the anniversary of a loved one's death, and on Holy Days, we burn a candle for 24 hours in their memory.  These beaded sheaths slide onto the glass candle holders, and can be easily removed to clean the glass and insert a new candle.

As the candle gradually burns down, more and more of the beaded image is illuminated by the flame. It draws our attention to the memorial repeatedly during the 24-hour period, helping us to remember the beauty of someone's life.
 

A candle cover to honor those who perished in the Holocaust. This sheath depicts barbed wire, bloodshed, the yellow star of the Jewish Ghetto, and the word Yizkor. This project was a challenge from start to finish, presenting obstacles at every turn, daring me to find a way to complete it.  (See narrative on ORA blog page: http://northwestjewishartists.blogspot.com/2008/09/broken-thread.html ) Of course, I couldn't let it defeat me, and I now use it to commemorate the passing of members of my own family, and the family of Israel. "Yizkor Shoah"

A memorial for the prophetess Miriam. Tradition says that the people of Israel never officially mourned Miriam's death.  So today we give formal voice to our people's mourning of this great loss. In this candle cover, Miriam's life is represented by water and by her tambourine.  "Yizkor Miriam"

Each candle cover takes about 20 hours to complete, in addition to considerable design time. Each one contains over 5,000 tiny beads,  woven together one-by-one.  This cover contains the four letters of the word "Yizkor," memorial.   "Yizkor Diamonds"

In this cover, the first four words of the Kaddish prayer are framed by Tallis stripes.  This design is a tribute to my late father, Rabbi Robert Bergman, of blessed memory.               "Yitgadal"

This cover depicts a detailed tree, containing within its leaves many copies of the letter "yod," which stands for Yizkor.  Some of these little letters are complete, and some are not, to represent the long, full lives of some of our loved ones, and also those precious lives which were cut short.             "Tree of Life" #2

A few covers are available ready-made, or  you can have one custom-made. Patterns shown here can be emulated, but no two will ever be identical. These covers are created in accordance with Hallachic guidelines. Please allow ample time to fill custom orders. The price for each is $250.  With gentle care, they should last a lifetime.         "Tree of Life" #1