ARTISANS OF ISRAEL

Overview

Artisans of Israel is a very special book on crafts: author Lynn Holstein is in
search of a national identity in the artisanry of the still young country – and
she finds it in the unifying pursuit for innovation.

Forty artists from Israel – including Jews, Muslims and Christians – tell their stories
and show in five different trades how emancipation can be promoted
through creativity. Working with one’s hands stands unfailingly at the
centre of this reflection.

From the hybrid of cultural and religious backgrounds emerges a
unique compilation from the fields of metalwork and jewellery, ceramics,
textiles, paper and wood, one that portrays a sensitive and inspiring
portrait of Israel and its inhabitants.

Lynn Holstein earned an MA with honours in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard
University, where she specialised in Islamic art and architecture. Last year she adapted the
autobiography of Israeli industrialist Stef Wertheimer for an English readership. She is
currently a partner in the newly revived Israeli fashion house Maskit.