From Fashion Designer to Designer of Torah Curtains: 'I Felt My Dream Came True'

Last Shavuot, designer Chana Gamliel had the opportunity to create a unique curtain for the Ark of the Covenant at the synagogue where the Rebbe of Biala in London prays. "It is a unique curtain that incorporates embroidered decorations of leaves and flowers, within which the names of the nine rebbes in the Hasidic dynasty are embroidered," she describes. "The Rebbe was very moved and requested another, identical curtain, only in white, for Rosh Hashanah. Indeed, last Rosh Hashanah eve, I was privileged to deliver the new curtain to him.

"It was truly a privilege to prepare the curtain for the Biala Hasidim's synagogue," Chana says excitedly, "because it is considered the most magnificent synagogue in all of Europe. It was established just last year, and on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Nissan, the Hasidim celebrated its dedication. After I sent the Rosh Hashanah curtain, the Rebbe and his wife, the Rebbetzin, called me specifically to thank me. They blessed me with so many blessings, it was worth working for just that," she says with satisfaction.

A Fashion Dream

Chana Gamliel didn’t randomly get the opportunity to create the curtain for the most famous synagogue in Europe. For eleven years now, she has been working in the field of curtain design, and her creations reach every corner of the Jewish world.

Since she was born, she grew up in a home where fashion and production are lived and breathed. Her father imports luxury fabrics from Italy, and her grandfather was a fashion designer with a large factory in Montreal. Chana also has an uncle who owns a large fashion factory, so fashion design has been part of her since birth. "At the age of five," she laughs, "I was already designing clothes for my dolls, hanging the design drawings on the living room walls, and had entire impressive collections."

It was always clear she would go into fashion production and evening collections for women. "I connected with it so much," she admits. Until she turned 18, and her plans changed. Chana moved to Israel and began to study at a seminary in Har Nof. "Suddenly, I started feeling spiritual growth, and it was an amazing, uplifting experience," she shares. "Although I grew up in a religious home, it wasn’t very strong. Only when I arrived in Israel did I understand the spiritual significance of everything and really got connected. Later, I continued studying at the Ofakim Seminary for four years and continued to strengthen my spirituality. At Ofakim, I also studied graphics, design, and art at a high level."

After getting married, Chana settled in Bnei Brak, where she suddenly understood her calling. "I realized I didn’t want to be a fashion designer but wanted to engage in a more ethical field. That’s how I found my way into the field of curtain design. Initially, I worked in factories as an employee, but soon I decided to start my own business."

The Mission: Fulfill Dreams

As an independent business owner, Chana meets people from all over the world with different needs and various requests. It turns out it's not always easy to meet clients' demands. "People have certain wishes, they have visions before their eyes, but they don’t always know how to express what they want. Sometimes you have to sit with a client for hours, offering suggestions and showing examples, until you see the spark light up in them, and then I understand – that’s what they want."

Chana also notes a significant difference between Sephardic synagogues and Hasidic or Lithuanian synagogues. "Each place has its favored style and the things they’re suited to. At first, I was very confused by the differences and nuances, but over the years, I started to grasp the line and discovered it is usually quite clear."

Are the curtains you design all handmade?

"Not only are my curtains handmade, but they are custom-crafted, exactly according to the client’s order, even when dealing with really unconventional ideas. People contact me with visions, and I strive to meet each one according to their request."

In practice, Chana herself doesn’t do the embroidery on the curtains. "That's not my field," she explains, "I’m not involved in embroidery, but I serve as the mind behind the scenes. I talk to every client, hear exactly what they have to say about the structure of the synagogue, the style of the community, the dreams of the congregants, and everything you can hear. When it comes to synagogues abroad, I insist on getting clear photos of every corner of the synagogue, and when the synagogues are in Israel, I simply get up and travel. After weaving the dream with the clients, I then acquire the fabrics."

If a curtain symbolizes black or blue velvet for you, it turns out that with Chana, this is actually the last material she uses. "True, there are still velvet curtains, but there are also other shiny fabrics and all kinds of very luxurious fabrics, like pure silk, that I purchase in special shops in Tel Aviv or order through personal import from abroad. There are special fringes that come from the U.S., with a special import, priced at $90 per meter, and other very special fabrics.

"I’ve been privileged to know many seamstresses all over the country. I know exactly what the strengths of each of them are, and accordingly, I pass on the work to them. There are seamstresses who are excellent in applications, and those who are better with tiny details suited mainly to the Hasidic style. Every job that comes to me, I direct to the most suitable seamstress. I travel several times a week all over the country to meet the seamstresses and closely supervise the work and execution."

How long does it take to work on each curtain?

"Usually, work lasts between three to six months, but especially involved curtains sometimes take even longer. One of the curtains I prepared for the last Rosh Hashanah was in the embroidery machine for four weeks with four different seamstresses. That means about 21 hours six days a week. Then we glued 1,500 Swarovski crystals onto it. I have a special artist who deals with gluing the stones. Of course, it took a long time."

All Over the World

One of the curtains Chana especially loves is the one she designed about a year and a half ago for a synagogue in an unrecognized village in the U.S. "A client came to me asking us to design a curtain that would match the ark of the covenant, which has very special carvings showing the Mount Sinai scene and an open Torah scroll. He also mentioned that yeshiva boys pray in the synagogue, and he seeks to endear the Torah to them. We spent a lot of time on it, and finally decided to design a curtain which has the words ‘Hear, O Israel’ in the framework and ‘Ahava Raba Ahavtanu’ in the center. Behind all the writing, there is an open study book. In the end, the result was wonderful because the ark of the covenant emits a lot of warmth and love of the Torah. This is so important for the yeshiva students. The client told me afterward that the boys said the curtain really contributes to their yearning in the service of Hashem. I’ve also designed curtains for remote places around the world, various small communities that sometimes only number a few hundred families."

Do you travel to visit all the synagogues where you’ve designed curtains?

"As for the synagogues abroad, I unfortunately can’t visit them, although it definitely interests me very much. There are places I am sure I’ll get to one day, and there are curtains I finish designing and send overseas with some sadness because it’s clear to me I’ll never see them again.

"I regularly ask clients to send me pictures of the curtain, and I’m always thrilled by the images. It's very gratifying to see the curtain you worked so hard on adorning the ark of the covenant."

What do your parents say about the field you work in?

"Honestly?" she smiles, "the greatest supporter of the curtains is my father. Since I started working in this field, he has always accompanied me and given me advice from his experience on how to manage with clients and suppliers, he helps me a lot and is happy that I found the field I enjoy working in."