Jewish ceramicist Sarah Dolin creates on her terms. After the rest of her family has left the house for the day, she settles into her home studio. Dolin takes her process seriously and honors the time and space required to create her rustic and unique Judaica pieces.

“It takes time to settle into creativity,” Dolin said of the state of mind that connects her to the timeless and expressive offerings in her repertoire of Judaica. Her Montreal home studio becomes a space for both play and work.

Dolin got her start in pottery as a child playing with Play-Doh and clay. But it wasn't until her third year of university, when she saw a poster promoting a weekly pottery class, that she began to take the medium seriously. Dolin loved the class so much that in between sessions, she took advantage of the university’s resources to engage in independent practice. “Any time that the student union was open, I could ask for the key. I was usually the only one using the studio. I didn’t know how to take a wet clay pot off of the wheel yet, so each day I would make a new pot on every empty wheel in the studio. By the time I had used the last wheel, the pot on the first wheel would be dry enough to remove!”

After university, Dolin took pottery classes at several community studios, including the 92^nd Street Y in Manhattan. Her first break as a budding professional artist was a job teaching children in Jerusalem, where Dolin’s husband was in rabbinical training. As an expat wife on a career break from academia, she was able to further indulge her interest in pottery. In exchange for use of the studio, Dolin taught children how to make things with clay.

After a few years as an elementary school teacher in New York City and Philadelphia, it was her second turn as an expat wife that opened the door to the next level of growth as an artist. When her husband got the opportunity to lead Congregation Dorshei Emet of Montreal in 2016, the busy mom of three threw herself into pottery once more.

Working with clay has taught her how to nurture her child-like curiosity and ability to experiment and play. “I don’t get as concerned when something doesn’t go as planned as I used to, because I've learned that when making pottery, sometimes staying open to possibilities can yield a better result. And if it doesn’t, at least I’ve learned something,” she said. Her first Netilat Yadayim cup for the Jewish handwashing ritual was originally intended as a mug, but it was way too big. That funny circumstance was an invitation to practice making identically sized handles, a skill that turned a possible failure into a brilliant success. “My most creative designs have come from being able to see situations in different ways.”

While some potters opt to make everyday, functional objects, Dolin is faithful to her practice of making Judaica. “The only objects that I could make that would honor what clay means for me would be Judaica. Jewish traditions are how I acknowledge holy moments,” she said. Her pieces are dedicated to the intentions that inspire their creation.

Dolin recommends purchasing Judaica from Jewish artisans who have a personal connection to Jewish traditions. She also recommends that clients add ritual objects to meaningful life events or milestones like weddings or a child’s first holiday. 

Because her items are created to be well-used, she opts for red stoneware clay instead of earthenware, which is delicate and breaks more easily. She expects her clients to give their Judaica purchases a long, useful life. “Red stoneware clay [also] contains a lot of iron in it”, she said. Many traditional cultures promote the health benefits of storing water in clay or using it for drinking cups, as done by the Ugandan Jews, also called the Abayudaya. Dolin has been a champion of this community, including some of their traditional knitted crafts in her cache of offerings. Proceeds benefit the Jewish women artisans of Namutumba Village under the auspices of the nonprofit Tikvah Chadasha Uganda.

Among Dolin's Judaica creations is a Hanukkah menorah. Menorahs made of clay can be fixtures for small Hanukkah candles or can function as multi-vessel oil lamps, as is the case with Dolin's creation. Lifting the holiday lights high above the table, its imposing base makes a statement. The accompanying oil vessel’s lid includes a small hole for dropping in stones, each representing a Hanukkah question that can be answered by one person or discussed by everyone at the table.

One special Hanukkah when Dolin’s family was living in Warsaw, Poland, her son was asked to sing the blessing over the Hanukkah candles at the school holiday concert. He was the only Jew at the school at the time. “For our son to sing the Hebrew blessing so loudly and proudly was a beautiful moment of strength and defiance,” she said. 

Chag Hanukkah Sameach!