Deborah Rolnik Raichman is a Brazilian judaica artist presently living in Houston. The warm and vivid colors from tropical Brazil, where she was raised, are a steady presence in her work. From her European parents, who were Holocaust refugees, she inherited a passion for everything Jewish. During her graduate studies in architecture, she became interested in Jewish art and religion which has become the focus of her life.

    Symbols of the Jewish tradition, especially the rich imagery associated with the Hebrew alphabet, are her main sources of inspiration. Lately, she is inspired by Yiddish sayings and proverbs, their wit and their humor. The artist feels that art dealing with Yiddish expressions should be approached with very contemporary media to assert that Yiddish wisdom is not something ancient, of the Old Country, but on the contrary, very apropos.

   Her artwork, based on traditional sources, aims to remind the modern Jew of his long forgotten heritage. As she says, ” When I make my public curious about Jewish culture, I’ve reached my goal”. Her work can be found as part of several fine private collections in the U.S., South America and Israel as well as several synagogues and Jewish buildings.

Deborah Raichman – "Nu? Voss zogt a yid?" Yiddish Expressions Exhibition from Elisheva Golani on Vimeo.

Deborah Rolnik Raichman from Elisheva Golani on Vimeo.

The Yiddish Daily Forward (יידיש)

The Houston Chronicle

The Jewish Herald Voice

SOLO EXHIBITS

08/ 2015 – Deutser Gallery, at ERJCC, “Nu? Voss Zogt A Yid? A Personal Interpretation of Yiddish Sayings and Proverbs”, Houston, TX

05/2014 – Chabad Center of Stamford, “ Deborah Rolnik Raichman’s Art, Stamford, CT.

01/2014 – Meyerland Minyan, “Deborah Rolnik Raichman’s Art”, Houston, TX

11/2013 – United Orthodox Synagogues, “Deborah Rolnik Raichman’s Art”, Houston,TX. 01/2010 – Chabad Lubavitch Center, “Deborah Rolnik Raichman’s Art”, Houston, TX.

03/2009 – Suzie’s Grill, “ New Works of Art: Watercolors & Collages”, Houston, TX.

01/2004 – Goldman Art Gallery,” The Art of the Hebrew Letters”, JCC of Greater Washington, Rockville, MD.

11/2003 – JCC of St. Paul, solo exhibit “The Art of the Hebrew Letters”, of St. Paul, MN.

03/2003 – JCAA Art Gallery, Austin, Texas, solo exhibit: “The Art of the Hebrew Letters”.

11/2002 – Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism, Houston, “The Art of the Hebrew Letters”.

01/2002 – Deutser Gallery, JCC, Houston: “The Art of Hebrew Letters”.

GROUP EXHIBITS

01/2014_  Anne Frank Center, “Faith &Form: Addressing Intolerance and Antisemitism”, organized by the Jewish Art Salon, New York, NY.

12/2013 – Canton Museum of Art, “Sacred Voices Exhibit”, Canton, OH.

08/2013- JLI Convention, “ Living in Joy”, Alexandria, VA.

05/2011- Art League of Houston, “Sacred Songs & Sacred sites: Calligraphy and The Call”, Houston, TX.

02/2007- Kraft Center for Jewish Life, Columbia/Barnard University, New York “Words  Within” Jewish Women Artist’s Network National Juried Exhibition

01/2007- Watercolor Art Society of Houston Gallery “Bayou City Watermedia Artists”.

09/2006- Morton Street Gallery,  “Watercolor Buffett”, Richmond, TX.

09/2006- Deutser Gallery, “Houston Showcase 2006″ Art exhibition on the themes of the High Holy Days by 5 Houstonian artists.

09/2005- Margolis Gallery, Houston “Ketubbah” An Invitational Exhibit, Houston, TX.

03/2005- Deutser Gallery, “The Ten Plagues” An Invitational Exhibit, Houston, TX.

03/2004- Norman and Sarah Brown Art Gallery, JCC of Greater Baltimore, MD, “The Secrets of the Aleph Bet: Mystical DNA” An Invitational Exhibit.

09/2002 – “Jewish Echoes Exhibit”, The Strand Theatre, Galveston, Texas.

25″ x 19″

Reish is the Aramaic word for head, or beginning.   According to the Midrash:    Rosh,head in Hebrew, is the Holy One, Blessed is He.   He is the ‘Head’ of the entire world, and He is the ‘End’ of the entire world.

The shape of the letter can be seen as a passageway through which man can reach upward to Heaven.    Only through the study of Torah and the fulfillment of mitzvos, man can achieve that degree of spiritual elevation and bring abundant blessing down to Earth.

Private Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Barnett

‘Kuf’ is composed of two elements: one higher and one lower.   The higher one seems to represent the sky, while the lower one reminds us of a humble praying person.    The letter Kof alludes to the word ‘keddushah’, holiness.    The Torah tells us:    ‘Holy shall you be because I am holy‘.    Man’s holiness is a reflection of God’s absolute sanctity and purity.    To raise his status to keddushah, holiness, man must conform to His commandments.

20″ x 26″

The final “Tzadi” with its upright shape represents the righteousness of God and devout human beings.

The final Tzadi is the final letter in the word earth, which is one of the four elements with which the world was created:   earth, air, water and fire.   It’s also the final letter of the word ‘ets’ (tree), the symbol for Torah, also called the ‘tree of life’.