Weaving our Lives
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Leaving a Legacy through Art
Although designed and started eight years ago by MorningStar Creative Director Carol Greenberg to help raise funds for proposed building renovations for Savannah’s historic Congregation Mickve Israel, now celebrating its 275th year in Georgia (which just recently celebrated its 275th year), the Heritage Quilt remains unfinished. In fact, congregants of the synagogue—many of whom are MorningStar board members or supporters-- laugh, that the building was planned, funded, renovations on the historic sanctuary were made, and construction on the beautiful social hall and museum were finished well before the quilt marking the occasion was!
But now after volunteers tackled the labor intensive hand sewing that is necessary to move forward with it for the last two summers, the heritage quilt depicting Jewish Holy Days, Jewish life cycle events and congregational images, is scheduled to be finished in time for the 275th anniversary celebrations for Congregation Mickve Israel.
Designed by Carol Greenberg in 1999, the then in-coming president of the
Sisterhood of the temple, never intended for the project to have been as grand
and complicated as it became. “Truth is, “ Carol chuckles, “I barely sew—let
alone quilt! It was a great idea, everyone was enthusiastic about it, but the
person in charge of the actual project moved from Savannah shortly after we set
this all in motion.” For the second summer in a row, the upstairs Shalom School
classrooms were transformed into sewing rooms; volunteers, r
”Sisterhood membership was not required to work on the quilt, so outsiders were always welcomed. Headed up by Madeleine Blank, volunteers included past president Toby Hollenberg, artists Laura Bateman and Rochelle Frank, Gail Kaplan, Malvina Leder, Linda Abrams and Karen McGuffin. In truth over 100 people have contributed in some way to the quilt and so a second quilt—originally intended as the back to the Heritage Quilt— was needed to thank everyone. The quilt’s back design started five years ago and lists the names on fashioned bricks put together to resemble Jerusalem’s Western Wall, complete with moss crocheted by Curves entrepreneur Mindy Bradley. The back was to honor the efforts of so many who made this quilt a reality. Because of the size and weight of the quilt, professionals a few years back recommended that each side actually be its own quilt. So now a frame needed to be created to house the both of them. Originally designed by Matt Donaldson, who no longer lives in Georgia, the frame will be completed by his brother Beau Donaldson and father Glenn Donaldson of Thirteenth Colony Cabinets.
As art quilts are very popular these days, many professionals have come to see and make recommendations about the quilt, including Sidney Brand of Colonial Quilts, Heather Szmatzmary of SCAD and Pat Pugrant of Atlanta’s Bremen Museum. In fact throughout the summers, tourists coming to see the famous sanctuary and visit the museum have wandered to the third floor to view the quilts. Several have suggested submitting it for competition or touring with it. Carol Greenberg just wants it finished! Sewing continues on the 2nd Quilt throughout the summer. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Carol
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of sewing or quilting experience, dropped in during June and July to add their
stitches to the squares. “In fact,” recounts Carol, “it was really a lot of fun
breaking away from a busy schedule to come sit, converse and sew for a half
–hour or so. I guess our ancestors understood that socializing helps to get the
work done. In truth we often were “in stitches” while we sewed some.”