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Early last month, prominent Canadian Jewish artist Yehouda Chaki z”l passed away at the age of 84. Among the many wonderful contributions to art in Canada, Chaki, a long-time member of our own Shaar community, was behind the design of the two beautiful tapestries sewn by the Sisterhood, depicting scenes from Bereshit, which hang in our building. This week, as we begin another Torah reading cycle on Simchat Torah, we pay tribute to Yehouda Chaki and the two tapestries.

In The Beginning

The first Chaki-designed tapestry “In The Beginning” was unveiled by the Sisterhood in 1982 and took two and a half years to complete. In the fall of that year, at the reception preceding the Slichot services, the Sisterhood sponsored a vernissage of the tapestry as part of the Westmount Arts Festival. This was the first public viewing of the tapestry, and was attended by guests and officials of the City of Westmount along with Sisterhood members who made squares in the tapestry and Yehouda Chaki himself. 

Let There Be Light

In 1992, in time for the Congregation’s 145^th anniversary, the Sisterhood unveiled its second needlepoint tapestry designed by Yehouda Chaki titled, Let There Be Light . This was another great undertaking by members of Sisterhood who each completed squares of the tapestry. The Committee for  this  project was chaired by Mildred B. Lande, C.M., and Carol Koffler.

Further reading on Yehouda Chaki

Brownstein: Chaki was one of Canada's most prominent and prolific artists

Obituary: Yehouda Chaki, 84, expressed both joy and pain in his vibrant paintings