DAVID STRAUSS

David Strauss

Artist Biography: I'm a professional sculptural furniture maker, and for over two decades I've devoted my practice to designing and making sacred objects for synagogues, Hillel foundations, and day schools across the country. I strive to create works that are intended not only to beautify the spaces they inhabit but also to invite viewers to form their own interpretations of the passages from Scriptures and liturgy that are illustrated in my designs. For further examples of my work, please visit my website. I've been formally a member of TBZ for at least the past 13 years, but I lose count since I had been following Reb Moshe even before he came over to TBZ and have participated in a number of TBZ activities ever since.

Title of Artwork: "All is Contained in Torah" Aron Kodesh created for Cambridge Minyan
Medium: The cabinet is mahogany, and the carving is poplar
Dimensions: 6' 7"h x 31"w x 25"d
This artwork is NOT for sale
Description: The design of this portable ark visually captures the poetic motion of the well-known quote from Pirke Avot 5:25: “Turn it and turn it (the Torah), for everything is contained in it”. The design holds a further allusion to G-d’s living presence in the Torah and within the congregation. The allusion is hidden in plain sight: the spaces in-between the curls of the unfurled scroll form the shape of the double-Yud letters of the Divine name and invite the viewer visually into the interior compartment where the sacred writings are kept.

Title of Artwork: Ark to Our Future Generations (created for the Newton Centre Minyan)
Medium: The seascape is relief-carved beechwood with aniline dyes, the doors are Nordic birch, and the cabinet itself is cherry
Dimensions: 6'5"h x 52"w x 26"d
This artwork is NOT for sale
Description: This portable ark is a visual exploration of the theme of Jewish Continuity. The design is inspired by G-d’s recognition of Avraham’s faithfulness in the Akedah story- the binding of Isaac- which we read on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah. G-d blesses Avraham and promises to multiply Avraham’s descendants “as the stars in the heavens and the sands on the seashore” (Genesis 22:17). The quote is illustrated by a vast night sky, presiding over a starlit seashore. The circle in which it is framed acts as a metaphor for a telescopic view of our Jewish future, one which we hope will be as prolific as in G-d’s promise. By using a metaphor that draws on the splendor of the natural world, we reinforce our connection with the Source of creation.