“I am fulfilling my dream of being a designer. I finally get to do what I love every day. Also, at Yad LaKashish I have made the most wonderful friends.” Marta, 77

Marta was born in 1942 in a small mostly Muslim town in Russia. Her first language was Arabic which her mother and sisters who had lived in Romania prior to her birth didn’t understand. The village was quite destitute and Marta is surprised she managed to survive with the limited resources her family had.

Three years after she was born, the family moved to the Caucasus Mountains. Since a young age, she dreamed of being a fashion designer. Though she wanted to go to school for design, her mother wouldn’t let her leave to study far from home. Since there was no Fashion Institute in her town she chose to study English and worked as an English teacher for 20 years.

In 2001, Marta and her husband followed their only daughter to Israel. Marta spent her first years in Israel taking care of her granddaughter and in 2006 she joined our Ceramics Workshop. Marta paints at an extremely high level and her department instructor says her work is outstanding. She is able to paint a wide variety of products including our extremely detailed Yad LaKashish courtyard mug and our Noah’s Ark Menorah.

After spending her mornings at Yad LaKashish, Marta likes to take advantage of being in town and loves to go explore Jerusalem, especially the nearby Old City. “My newest hobby though, when I find the time, is crosswords.”