Below is the symbol of the ram caught in the thicket, provided by G-D as a replacement offering for Isaac.

Above Shofars are being sounded. Several have been included to establish that this event is occurring all over the world on this day, wherever Jews live. The Blowing of the Shofar is the essential ritual of Rosh Hashanah. It is stated in the Mishnah that the horn of any animal except the cow may be used, i.e. sheep, ram, antelope etc., however, it was later decided that the ram's horn be used recalling the story of Isaac. A curved shofar should be used, symbolic of a man bowing to G-D. The sound of the shofar is said to be a weeping sound and reputed to have the ability to soften The Divine Judgment.

The fire is included as it is stated that Abraham took the fire and the knife with him, (see quotation below). "...and he took in his hand the fire and the knife." Gen. 22 : 6

The stars in the heavens are a reference to the quotation "I will multiply thy seeds as the stars in the heavens." Gen. 22: 17

Another aspect of Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment, hence the scales. Central to this window are the three books. Three books are opened in heaven on Rosh Hashanah, one for the completely righteous, one for the completely wicked and one for the average persons. The righteous are inscribed in the Book of Life, the wicked are inscribed in the Book of Death and the average people are kept in suspension between New Year and The Day of Atonement. If they deserve well, they are inscribed in the Book of Life, if they do not, they are inscribed in the Book of Death. In some Jewish traditions, birds represent prayers winging their way to heaven, and the colour white, is symbolic for purity. In this window there is one white dove, the number of doves, and by implication, the number of prayers increases toward Yom Kippur. An apple tree and honey are shown, apples and honey being traditional symbols of New Year. This stems from the belief that if sweetness is eaten at the start of the year then sweetness will abide for the rest of that year. After Kiddush on the festival, and before the meal, a piece of apple is dipped in honey and eaten.

The Tashlich ceremony (Tashlich - to cast). This is the casting of sins on a body of running water. In the middle ages it was traditional to cast breadcrumbs or to empty out the crumbs from the pockets. It is considered better if the running water contains fish, a traditional reason given for this is that the fish whose eyes never close are a reminder of G-D who is ever watchful to look down on his creatures with mercy.

The difficulty during the time of the Temple, of predicting the exact time of the new moon was one of the reasons why Rosh Hashanah is a two day festival. It occurs at the new moon. The 12 stars surrounding the moon are symbolic for the twelve Tribes of Israel.

"Blessed art thou O Lord, King over all earth who sanctifiest (the Sabbath and) Israel and the Day of Memorial." In this window, the imagery comes directly from the prayer book. The Siddur…

At the very top of the window is a crown symbolising that G-D is King on this day. It is in darkness and surrounded by darkness representing the hidden and unapproachable nature of G-D.
".....This day on which was the beginning of thy work, a memorial of the first day of creation."
This is represented by the separation of the darkness from the light. A similar motif is used in the Simchat Torah window.

"Before thee all secrets are revealed....
There is no forgetfulness before thy throne of glory."
The crown represents G-D; it is dark, hidden and mysterious....

"Of Noah also wast mindful in thy love and didst visit him with a promise of salvation and mercy when thou broughtest the waters of the flood..."

The three doves are the three that Noah released, one carrying an olive twig, is both a symbol of peace and of Noah. The doves and the rainbow are also symbols of Noah and of G-D's covenant with him and also follow the pattern of increasing prayers leading up to Yom Kippur.

There is again the symbol of the parting of the waters

"On the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement; there shall be a holy convocation unto you,
and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall bring an offering made by fire unto the Lord."

Its biblical name indicates the perfect rest of body and soul.
There is the desire for fellowship and at-one-ment with G-D and humanity.
Each person examines their lives and if appropriate, grants his or her own pardon.
The principal purpose of Yom Kippur is repentance.
As with the previous two windows, the birds represent prayers; in this window they reach a climax underlining that prayers for forgiveness reach a peak on this day.

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the festival and of the entire year. White is symbolic for purity and the scrolls of the Torah have white vestments on Yom Kippur and the people are encouraged to wear white clothes in the synagogue.
The borders of the windows in this series are also white.

As in each of the series of windows, in this design, there is a symbol for the temple in the form of the altar. In the background between the pillars, there is a symbol for the Holy of Holies. In the Shavuos series this area between the pillars, is shown covered by a curtain, here it is an area of white light.
There is a final plea to be inscribed in the Book of Life, represented here, as in the previous window, by the green book.

Dew - Let it drop sweetly on the blessed land,
With the delicacies of heaven sate us with blessing,
To enlighten from amid the darkness....
From Prayer for Dew

The three pilgrim festival designs make reference to the agricultural and seasonal nature of each festival, Pesach is a Spring Festival and in this window, the sun is still cool and hazy. The time of year when nature comes to life again after a long dark winter. The atmosphere is the coolness and freshness of early spring with new growth on the earth and in the waters combining to give nourishment and sustenance. On the first day of Pesach prayers for dew are said.

A part of the Song of Solomon
"For Lo the winter is past, the rain is over and gone,
The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come,
The voice of the turtle is heard in our land, the fig tree puteth forth her green figs,
And the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance."

The seven Biblical types of agricultural produce; wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates are shown throughout the series, in the three stages of growth and development. In this window they are blossoming and in the new growth phase. Also included are the citron and the willow which relate to the Festival of Sukkoth.

The uppermost part of the tree show palm branches. These are symbols of triumph and righteousness.

"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree", (PS 92:12).

"You have seen....how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to me." Exodus (19:4)

An alternative version of the above passage from the Song of Solomon reads as: "For the winter of bondage has passed
The deluge of suffering is over and gone.
The righteous blossoms are seen in the land,
The time of your song has arrived
And the song of your guide is heard in the land.
The fig tree has formed its first small figs,
Ready for ascent to the Temple.
The vines are in blossom,
Their fragrance declaring they are ready for libation."

This Pesach text is now less linked with nature, the emphasis being on national redemption.

Pesach is also known as the Season of our Freedom as it marks the liberation of Israel from Egypt and its’ birth as a free nation. This is one of the recurring symbols in Judaism and is often alluded to in writings and prayers, therefore throughout the series of windows it is a recurring motif.

"...He brought us forth from bondage to freedom,
From sorrow to joy, from mourning to festivity
From darkness to bright light and from servitude to redemption...."

This design depicts the flight from Egypt. The two main symbols are the parting of the Sea at the base and the eagle at the top. This symbol can be read as both the eagle referred to in the above passage from Exodus, however it should also be seen as symbolic of the "Angel of Death" which passed over the homes of the Israelites during the final and most devastating plague on the Egyptian captors. This Passing-Over is regarded as the meaning of Pesach. The Freedom from Captivity is such a major theme and so often alluded to, that we have taken the theme for the main window in the foyer of the building.

The chains at the base of the window represent the chains of bondage.

There are twelve stars surrounding the full moon again representing the twelve tribes of Israel.

"The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep; seven days shalt thou eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, at the time appointed in the month of Abib-for in it thou camest out of Egypt;"......Exodus 23:15.

This panel represents the Seder Meal and this is the central image of this window. This is the main meal of the festival, held on the evening of Passover. Its origin is extremely ancient and possibly goes back to the time of Abraham and certainly to the time of the Exodus.

The central image is of the Seder table containing:

In Exodus 12 it is written
"Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; howbeit the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses; for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel."

The scales are for one of the four times of judgment mentioned in the introduction. This time with reference to the Day of Judgment for grain.
This is also the time of the beginning of the counting of the Omer, represented here by showing the first sheaf of the Barley Harvest used as a wave offering before the altar in the Temple.
On the second day of the Passover the Israelite was required to bring to the temple the Omer, of the size of an Omer from the first yield of his barley produce which was to be offered on the "morrow after the Sabbath". The period lasts for forty nine days beginning on the second day of Passover and at the end of this time Shavuot would be held.
It is the time between the barley and the wheat harvest.
After the destruction of the temple and therefore the end of the bringing of the Omer, the counting did not cease and has been observed through the ages. The counting itself takes place at night as the reaping itself took place at night.
When the counting is undertaken it must mention both the number of days and the number of weeks. The standard formula for counting is for the first day;
"today is the first day of the Omer" and for the ninth day it would be stated "today is the ninth day, making one week and two days of the Omer". The counting is done after the evening service when the new day begins.

The Biblical names for the festival are "Hag Shavuot" - "the feast of weeks", "Yom ha-bikkurim" - "The Day of the First Fruits" and "hagha-kazir" - "The Harvest Feast". However the first window shows the ceremony involved with the end of the "Counting of the Omer"

"from the day after the Sabbath. The day that you bring the sheaf of the wave offering you shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh week; then you shall bring an offering of new grain to the Lord."

On Passover, a sheaf of the new grain was waved at the Temple. At the end of the Counting of the Omer, two loaves made from the new flour of the finest wheat were waved over the altar in the Temple

"And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of thy labours, which thou sowest in the field;" Exodus 23:16

As with the Spring Season window, the main symbols in this window are the biblical species, now in their fruit stage. The dominant symbol is the tree with several species.

"....there were thunders and lightning and thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of a horn exceedingly loud:" Ex: 14:13

"And it came to pass, thunder and lightening and thick cloud around the mount the voice of the Lord exceedingly loud. The Lord descended upon it in Fire and the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly." .... "Now Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire..." Exod 19:16&18

This window focuses on the event on Mount Sinai when G-D gave Moses the Decalogue. The Giving of the Torah occurred 49 days after the escape from Egypt and is considered to be the fulfillment of the Exodus.
The central motif are the tablets of the law. Above are resounding horns in the shape of shofars, lightning flashing and a pillar of fire descending on the mountain.
At the base of the window is Ark of the Covenant constructed to house the Torah.

This window indicates the wheat harvest which is the background to the story of Ruth which is read during Shavuot. Ruth is represented by a hands gleaning behind the sickle holding the basket.

"15. When she got up to glean, Boaz instructed the men to glean right among the sheaves. 'Do not find fault with her,' he added; 16. 'you may even pull out some ears of grain from the handfuls as you cut, and leave them for her to glean;" Ruth 2:

"Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are homeborn in Israel shall dwell in booths"; Lev 23:42.

The Booth known as a Tabernacle or a Sukkoth is traditionally built in the garden. The most important part of the booth is the roof (sekhakh) through which you must be able to see the stars if the sky is clear. It is not important which trees the branches of the roof come from. By tradition the booth is a symbol of the destroyed temple and a reminder of the wanderings in the wilderness. It should be decorated festively and fruits are hung from the roof. The males of the household are instructed to eat meals inside the booth during the festival; females only have to enter for the benediction.
The sides of this window contains two palm branches which represent the roof of the Sukkoth.
Leviathan, the great fish, and Behemoth , the red ox, are represented in the hope of a share in the feast in the Sukkoth in the Hereafter.
All who fulfill the "mitzvah of Sukkoth" in this one (life), the Holy One blessed be He will grant him a share in the Sukkoth of Leviathan in the future to come.
The Lulav and the citron, shown at the base of this panel, are known also as the four species and are used in prayers during Sukkoth.
The four species were identified with the final harvest, the fertility of the land an for thanksgiving. It is used by the Reader (Chazzan) during the synagogue service and is waved in all directions indicating all dimensions of the universe.

"..... On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of the Lord seven days;" Lev 23:39.

Both sides of this panel explore the other possible interpretation of the Sukkoth, cloud by day and fire by night.
There is also a reminder of the Exodus in the form of the parting of the sea.
The crops shown here are the seven types of produce that have been represented throughout the agricultural windows, now harvested and put in storage.
Sukkoth was widely and joyfully celebrated in the days of the Temple and it was considered the most joyful of the festivals and was sometimes called simply "the Festival".
Flowers and fruit are symbols of joy.

"And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your G-D for seven days." Lev 23:40.

At the base of this window, the Hashanah can be seen. This is a cluster of willow twigs. In the days of the Temple, these were branches with which the ground surrounding the alter was circled and beaten with the willow branches. In more recent times after a procession with the Torah around the Bimah, etrog and the lulav are laid aside and willow twigs are taken up, five of them bound with a leaf from the lulav. At the end of the Hashanah prayers, the worshippers beat the twigs and chant a ritual passage. According to ritual law it is necessary only to beat them five times. Everyone performs this ceremony including women and children. Some carry the twigs home to act as a broom during the searching for Chometz on the next Passover.

"Let us be glad and rejoice with this law,
For it is strength and light for us,"

The day is called Shemeni Azeret the eighth day of solemn assembly. Later Shemeni Azeret also came to be known as Simchat Torah "Rejoicing of the Torah". In the prayer book it is still referred to as Shemeni Azeret. Although it is now considered as the concluding part of Sukkoth, it is in fact, a separate festival. A tradition grew in this period of celebrating the ending of the annual reading of the Torah. This was justified by reference to the Midrash which described how Solomon had celebrated when he was granted wisdom. The people should therefore celebrate when they have received the wisdom of the Torah. This theme is symbolized in this window.

The centre of Jewish worship focuses on the Torah, the scrolls are rolled toward their centre on two staves, and this is known as the Tree of Life, another symbolic name for the Torah. They are adorned with special ornaments and often kept inside velvet covers with silver breastplates. The Sefer Torah (scroll of the Law) from which the portions are read weekly in the synagogue, is a Jewish communities most treasured possession.

Simchat Torah marks the end of the one year cycle of the reading of the law. As soon as the final portion of Deuteronomy is read, a second scroll is opened and Genesis begun. In the upper area of this window is a symbol of the reading of first book of Genesis, showing the physical separation of the light from the darkness. At the base is a symbol for the "light of wisdom" representing the completion of Deuteronomy and therefore the completion of reading the Torah.

The symbol for seven inside the circle stands for the Hakkafot. This is a ceremonial procession around the synagogue or elsewhere.

Boys under Barmitzvah age are also called up to the reading desk and after an adult has recited the blessing, a portion of the law is read for them while a large Tallit (prayer shawl) is held over them like a canopy, this can be seen at the very top of this window.

I like to have a certain purify in the methods I employ to create windows. I like permanence in the works I make and therefore use methods that are appropriate.

All of the coloured windows will be made using mouth blown flashed glass.
This glass has 2 layers, a thin coloured layer on top of a thicker base glass, usually transparent.
The coloured layer can be removed using an acid either in part or completely, creating a wide range of tone within one piece of glass. This is known as etching.
Once the etching is completed, the glass will be painted. Paint refers to traditional black glass paint which creates lines and half tones and which, after painting, the glass must be fired to make the paint adhere to the surface of the glass. This is one of the ancient techniques going back 1000 years.
The final method within the traditional technique is silver-staining. This is again painted on but this time on the reverse side of the glass and when fired, the painted areas become yellow. This ranges in tone from a pale straw colour through bright clear yellow to a deep amber depending upon application and firing.
The windows in the main part of the will be leaded again using the traditional techniques.