حِمير
(Hymiar)
The story of a jewelry maker that became a Falafel maker
“Himyar”, is a project that involves both research and design.
I studied the story of Shlomo Tzadok who immigrated to Israel from
Yemen in 1941. He worked as a Judaica jeweler until 1946 when he
bought a cart and a Primus stove selling falafel on the streets of the Bukharan neighbourhood in Jerusalem.
Shlomo’s journey encapsulates the story of many Yemenite immigrants,
the crafts and aesthetics of which would influence and contribute greatly
to the Israeli visual language.
Today Shlomo’s son, Shai, runs ”Shlomo Falafel”, at the same location the restaurant was established in 1949.
Throughout the years Shlomo's Falafel became a community pillar, a place where no one stays hungry whether they have the means to pay or not.
Like many immigrants Shlomo came from Yemen as a professional jeweler but was impelled to change vocation and open a falafel stand instead. This, stemming from the fact that falafel had greater value than jewellery at the time. I decided to make a tribute to Shlomo Tzadok - one that would combine the two Israeli symbols: Yemenite Judaica and Israel’s national food – falafel, symbols that served anchors in his life.
Taking my inspiration from the traditional Yemenite jewelry making, Himyar is a series of jewelry and Judaica pieces created in and utilizing the characteristic materials of a falafel stand.
2021
Vegetables, Dough, Falafel,
Salt, broad bean
The project was exhibited in Jeusalem Design Week of 2021
Shlomo Tzadok
People waiting outside Falafel Shlomo
