Shavuot whites: From tees and straw hats to biblical tomes and treats
The top five picks for holiday-related items
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Shavuot, the festival of everything milky, Bible-related, and agricultural, is upon us. Given that it’s a long weekend filled with dairy products, learning, farming festivals and white garb, it’s probably best to prepare ahead of time.
With that in mind, we’ve gathered a few items that will help anyone get into the holiday mood, and can easily be considered for the summer months ahead, when white shirts, good books and pungent cheeses can come in handy.
1) A fresh white tee is lovely for Shavuot and it’s useful for the rest of the summer. Designer Anat Friedman calls her white T-shirt “Cottage” for its soft, waffle-like texture. Fashioned out of viscose, which Friedman calls “the fabric for summer” because of its light, breathable weight, the shirt is her usual classic cut, slightly square, not too tight, a slight cap sleeve and rounded neckline with the twist of a slightly different fabric to draw more attention. That’s her usual take on the shirts, dresses and other pieces in the line of clothing created by Friedman, a Bezalel Academy of Design graduate who has a studio at Meatzvim BaIr, Designers in the City, the two-story cooperative artists’ space on Bezalel Street in downtown Jerusalem. Friedman also offers “Cottage” in green and as a black shift dress.
Anat Friedman, available at Meatzvim BaIr, 7 Bezalel Street, Jerusalem and in other neighborhood stores
2) The white button-down shirt is often the sartorial standard for men heading to synagogue or some all-night learning, particularly on Shavuot, but that doesn’t mean it has to be limited to the traditional short-sleeve, stiff collar version. Designer Yossi Katzav takes the concept in several new directions for his SKETCH line of clothing. While pricier than the standard retail chain offerings, Katzav’s crisp white polo, relaxed henley, rounded collar button-down and slouchy cotton sweater offer an expanded selection of white shirt options for the summer. A graduate of Shenkar College of Engineering and Design and with more than a decade of experience working for several name brands, including Castro, Fox and Donna Karan’s DKNY, Katzav focuses on classic, well-cut men’s clothing with an emphasis on the minimalist side of design. Although in business for just three years, he has three stores, two in Tel Aviv and one in Ra’anana.
SKETCH, 2 Kaufman Street and 2 Basel Street, Tel Aviv; Ra’ananim Mall, Ra’anana
3) It’s a long weekend, and given that it’s the time to celebrate the giving of the Torah, it’s the perfect couple of days for diving into novelist Meir Shalev’s book “Beginnings: Reflections on the Bible’s Intriguing Firsts.” From first loves, relationships and laughs to first kings, dreams and deaths, the book is a telling glimpse into the close relationship that Shalev, a secular Israeli, has with the Bible as an ancient book that connects locals to the land and its history.
4) Feel free to fill up on blintzes, bourekas, cheesecakes and pies, but consider subbing in some artisanal cheeses and yogurts into those creations, given the bounty of goat and sheep cheeses made by local cheesemakers. Both goat and sheep milk contain less lactose than cow’s milk, making it easier on the stomach, although goat’s milk products can have a heavier aroma than that of sheep’s milk. One standout goat cheese farm is at Kibbutz Lotan, about 60 kilometers outside of Eilat, where visitors can pet and feed the goats, discover eco-living at Lotan’s adobe guesthouses and enjoy some Lotan goat cheeses at the kibbutz cafe. If the Arava desert isn’t in your itinerary right now, Lotan’s Bulgarit, Camembert, Gouda and Roquefort cheeses are also available at stores throughout the country.
5) Hats are a handy accessory in the summer heat, particularly when sitting outside to watch a festive gathering-of-the-harvest presentation or walking home from synagogue in the hot sun. Tamar Gartenberg, an accessories designer, was thinking about sun protection when she set out to prettify the basic straw hat with her collection of feathers, flowers and baubles. A Bezalel-trained sculptor, she started with jewelry and moved into hair accessories, hats and gloves, upgrading the usual offerings. Given the tendency toward slouchy beach hats to protect from the summer sun, she decided to expand her selection this spring, and is selling crisp straw hats festooned with accessory artifacts. Tamar’s designs can be found at her Jaffa shop or at the upcoming Accessories Fair next week (details below).
Tamara, Shuk Hapishpeshim, 16 Rabbi Pinchas Street, Jaffa; Accessories Fair, Thursday, May 31- Saturday, June 2, Zionist Confederation House, 26 Ibn Gvirol Street, Tel Aviv
