In collecting, as in love, you always remember your first.
For Ruth Eis of Oakland, the initial find of her collection was a silver spice tower. The year was 1942 and she was on her way to work in Newark, N.J. As she passed the Riviera Hotel she spied a silver object in the window of the gift shop. “You didn’t find any Judaica in shops,” she remembers, “and I looked at it and said, ‘Oh my goodness, I have to rescue this.'”
During the next half-century, Ruth and her late husband, Max, traveled all over the world “rescuing” ceremonial objects connected to Jewish life. They scoured flea markets, antique shops and auctions to bring home menorot, etrog containers for Sukkot, seder plates, Kiddush cups and yadayim (pointers used in the reading from the Torah), among other collectibles.
Much of that collection is now on display as part of the Ruth and Max Eis Collection of Judaica at the Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living in Danville.
Several years ago, Eis, an artist and poet who was a longtime curator at the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, began weighing her options regarding the collection’s future. She wanted the public to have access to the pieces, “to see them, enjoy them and learn something about them.” As it happened, the Reutlinger Community (formerly the Home for Jewish Parents in Oakland) was under construction at the time, and an agreement was reached so that certain facets of the structure were designed with Eis’ approximately 250-piece collection in mind.
In the building and on the grounds, the art objects mingle with the communal living space. Three leaded-glass windows, originally from a European synagogue, enhance the brightness and color of the dining room. A display of lamps fashioned from various materials — primitive stone, glass, wood, metals and ceramic — welcome visitors into the synagogue, while candelabras and hanging lamps bring warmth into other rooms. Posters in Hebrew, Italian, Polish, German and Japanese line the hallways to commemorate Jewish locations or events. Several commissioned pieces — sculptures and two stained-glass windows — contribute to an atmosphere of reflection and spiritual awareness.
The collection changes relative to the holidays. Chanukiot are lit, Kiddush cups are filled and the shofar is sounded by residents who have the opportunity to use these ritual objects, as others have before them. A couple of weeks ago, the Reutlinger community held a “Spice of Life” event in observance of Sukkot. In a celebration that featured music, refreshments, artwork and spice boxes filled with spices, the afternoon of renewal offered a treat for all the senses.
As the collection soothes and enriches the communal environment for Reutlinger occupants and staff, it also provides a comfort for prospective residents and their families, says Judith Markowitz, director of marketing and community life. Visiting the premises can be a difficult time for potential residents and their families and it makes a difference, she said, “for them to come in our community and feel a connection because of what surrounds them in this building.”
The objects, she said, help people “feel at home and at ease.”
The collection’s aesthetic appeal, educational value and cultural richness were acknowledged last spring by the Council of American Jewish Museums, which recognized the Reutlinger gallery as an institutional member. CAJM is an affiliate of the National Foundation of Jewish Culture, an organization devoted to the preservation and understanding of Jewish history.
“The heart and soul of this collection is the Ruth and Max Eis’ collection,” explained Judy Greif, president of Reutlinger’s board of directors, adding that an art committee reviews gifts when approached by other donors.
In an effort to introduce others to the collection’s beauty and cultural significance, the committee is establishing relationships with various groups, including Bay Area Jewish day schools and other schools, synagogues and Jewish organizations. Docent Alice Prager leads tours throughout the building.
The art consciousness pervading the Reutlinger community has a palpable effect on people, according to Betty Rothaus, the artist-in-residence and director of the art program. She teaches classes each week for the residents and recalls how one woman in particular “always stopped in front of the windows of the collection after class. She just wanted to stand there and it was like she was soaking it up. It was a real touchstone for her.”