ABOUT ALAN LLEON
I first saw Alan's mezuzahs at a big Crafts Fair in San Francisco. I was enchanted with the jewel-like quality of the Jewish talisman. Even though I am not Jewish, I believe their charm will ward off any evil. OTHER PAGES Ethnic and Folk Arts Resident Artists Book Store Private Collections Collector's Corner				AVAILABLE WORK Visual Index of His Work
			Excerpts from Artist Brings International Flair to Mezuzah Coverings, The Jewish Bulletin of Northern California. When Al Leon sits down to make one of his mezuzah cases, he puts the whole world into it--literally. The San Francisco artist makes his covers out of objects he's collected from all over the globe. "I travel a lot, and my belief is that the geography of found ojects makes the mezzuzot even more special," said Leon, whose finds include everything from Roman-era glass from Jerusalem to West African coins minted in 1952 with a Star of David. Even findings from a hardware store are fair game for the New York-born artist, who for the last three years has been creating mezzuzot covers out of wood, semi-precious stones, and objects such as Israeli coins and even a brass washer. He works out of his studio just a few steps away from Sephardic Congregation Magain David, where he is a member. It's not enough for Leon that the casings he creates are vessels for the essence of the mezuzah; he also tries to impart a visually exciting flair to each one. Many of them prominently feature shin, the first letter in the Hebrew prayer of the parchment inside. The letter also can represent Shalom, peace; Shaddai, God; or Shecina, the feminine aspect of God.
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