Shalom of Safed (Shalom Moskovitz, 1887–1980) A Family Around the Sabbath Table, Safed: Circa 1960

Shalom of Safed occupies a singular place in Israeli art, celebrated for transforming the visual language of Jewish folklore and sacred narrative into a modern, deeply personal idiom. Descended from Eastern European immigrants who settled in Safed in the eighteenth century, Shalom grew up in a community shaped by Hasidic piety and the lingering aura of Galilean mysticism. Long before he ever picked up a paintbrush, he earned his livelihood through an array of traditional crafts—including engraving, stonework, and silversmithing—skills that honed his meticulous eye and helped shape the crisp linearity that later defined his art.

In this intimate Sabbath scene, a family gathers to sing zemirot (Sabbath songs) around the candlelit table, their devotion echoed in the rhythmic arrangement of forms and the glowing hues that illuminate the room. Framed by a backdrop of Safed’s clustered stone houses nestled into the Galilean hills, the painting situates the family’s devotion within the city’s storied landscape, long associated with Jewish mysticism and song. Rich with warmth and spiritual resonance, the painting captures Shalom’s gift for elevating everyday moments into timeless expressions of Jewish life.

Physical Description

Tempera on cardboard (12 3/8 x 18 3/8 in.; 314 x 468 mm); signed in Hebrew in lower-right corner. Matted and framed; not examined outside of the frame.