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Many Faces

by 

Avital Chalemsky

About Design track

Mentor — 

Aya Bentur

For me, being a Jew means feeling the tragedy of yesterday as an inner oppression”, wrote Jean Améry.The history of the Jewish people involves coping with hate and murder related to our Jewish identity. 

After years of legislation designed to protect minorities, including Jews, there was a sense that antisemitism was a thing of the past and that Jews were welcome everywhere. However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War, Jews worldwide have been experiencing verbal and physical attacks, also under the guise of academic enlightenment, in big cities and liberal countries.

Consequently, collective and individual feelings related to Jewish identity reawaken: Why Jews of all people? How Jewish am I? Have I forgotten history? In addition to identity-related questions, people are asking themselves such questions as: How can I travel, and how can I cope with the new world? There is no single right answer, and the understanding that we are experiencing the changes individually has motivated this attempt to offer small responses rather than one big answer.

This project translates these questions through the Star of David symbol into a series of jewels hanging on a cloth. Through a continuum from visible to invisible, the jewel stands for the wide diversity of Jewish identity through its encounters with antisemitism, an attempt to connect with each viewer on an individual level.

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Avital Chalemsky

Avital is a goldsmith and a jewelry and Judaica designer. She holds a BFA (with honors) from the Jewelry and Fashion Department, Bezalel, and an M.Des. in industrial design, also at Bezalel. Her work process involves observation, conceptual and emotional research, and hands-on experimentation, supported by graphic and 3D software. These processes produce fine and precise handmade jewelry and tools inspired by nature and Jewish and Israeli culture. Throughout her career she has won several awards, including a residency in Pforzheim, Germany. She has presented in exhibitions worldwide. Today, Avital owns an independent brand.

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