Twelve Tribes Designs for Ansche Torah

Temple Emanuel San Jose

Window shows the Twelve Tribes of Israel rendered as etchings on flashed glass

Twelve Tribes Windows

July 25, 2016

These designs were completed as stained glass windows and installed in May of 2017. Photos of the work are not yet available.

Studio shot of a detail of the Levi Window, showing the Priestly Breastplate with the gems of the Twelve Tribes

Studio shot of the breastplate in the Levi window from Anshe Torah Twelve Tribes Clerestory project

Studio shot of the Simeon Window, set up for cleaning.

Studio shot of Reuben Window.

Shot of the Judah Window from the exterior taken during the installation at Anshe Torah

Michelle working on the Judah window in our Mendocino County studio.

Temple Beth Torah

Symbols of the Twelve Tribes used in a circular motif for stained glass windows in Temple Beth Torah Ventura, Ca

Detail of Twelve Tribes circular motif

Aron Hakodesh

Small Aron Hakodesh using the theme of the gems of the Twelve Tribes of Israel

Temple Chai Longrove Illinois

Temple Emanuel Livingston New Jersey

Congregation Beth Chaim Danville California

Stanford University Hillel at the Koret Center, Palo Alto, California

Abraham Joshusa Heschel Day School: Values Windows

The Shirley Levine Beit Midrash was constructed in 1998. Collaboration on the design for the stained glass begun during the initial planning stages for the Chapel. The project consists of 16 windows. Eight 7'x7' windows on the west-facing walls, share the theme of Jewish Values.David and Michelle Plachte-Zuieback, together with Shirley Levine, the school's founding director, envisioned a series of stained glass windows for the new campus Beit Midrash, which would reflect the humanitarian principles which underlie the teaching philosophy of the Abraham Heschel Jewish Day School.

Download the Free IBook on the stained glass at Abraham Heschel School

Respect for God

In this composition the prayer, the "Shema" is rendered in 18 different languages

Self Respect

In this design, the sillouette of a young person's face contemplates the world, while thinking of others. "If I am not for myself, who will be for me. If I am for myself alone, what am I?"

Respect for Diversity

Hands of many different colors are raised in unison all reaching for God. In our struggle to know God, we are all the same. Raised hands also mean something unique in a school setting. All children, of all colors, all know the answer.

Respect for Creation

According to the mystics, the universe was created through the successive emanations of the "Ten Seiferot. In this composition, sun, moon and seiferot hover above the "tohu v'vohu," or raw material of creation: the Hebrew alphabet.

Respect for Knowledge

For a school, knowledge is life, even though these two concepts are diametrically opposed in the Garden of Eden. This tree, which is half white, half black, joins the two opposites. Ten pomegranates, arranged in a circle, contain the symbols of the branches of knowledge taught at Heschel School. The inscription, from Pirket Avot, translates, "Without knowledge there is no understanding.

Respect for Torah

The Torah is shown here surrounded by the "fence" of the Talmud. Each page of the surrounding scroll is a perfectly rendered page of the Talmud. The Torah with pomegranate rimonims is held aloft by two hands and is surrounded by the 54 phases of the moon, corresponding to the 54 Torah portions of the yearly cycle of readings.

Respect for Peace in Israel

A dove, with olive branch, swoops over three skylines of Jerusalem. The present, international Jerusalem, showing flags of many nations represents the open access of Jerusalem to all peoples of the world.