Story

Nireh Or is a creative response with to Jewish concepts and teachings, with art illustrations by Lizzie Sivitz. Nireh Or was created by Rabbi Hayley Goldstein and Lizzie Sivitz in 2018, combining a love of Torah, art, and commentary, they created and posted their pieces every week, with Lizzie creating the art and Rabbi Hayley writing the analysis.

After a successful first year of posts in response to the weekly Torah portion, they published their first book, Nireh Or: Illuminating the Weekly Torah Portion. Nireh Or Year year two used the same “art and commentary” framework, but in response to important events in the Jewish calendar. Nireh Or now creates a yearly Jewish art calendar.

Lizzie recently began creating custom ketubot (marriage contracts) and is always open for commissions.

Lizzie Sivitz is a visual artist and creative director. She is from Bainbridge Island, WA and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. After college, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue comedy writing. Deciding that telling jokes was more fun around the Shabbat table than in the club, she moved to Tel Aviv in 2018, where she met Rabbi Hayley. Lizzie spends her free time traveling, drawing, painting, printmaking, and baking.

Rabbi Hayley Goldstein received a BA in Religious Studies from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado and Rabbinic Ordination at the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, MA.  She was a Summer Fellow at Yeshivat Hadar and a participant of the Drisha Artist’s Fellowship. As a SVARA-trained Talmud Eductor, Hayley’s passion lies in facilitating radical encounters between people and Jewish text. She is currently the Rabbi of Base Ithaca, where she and Lizzie create pluralistic home-based Jewish experiences for young adults.