this is gitele, named after gitele di gabete of koriv/kurow, poland. she was a ritual leader and important figure in her shtetl’s community and synagogue. (shtetl was the name given to little towns populated predominantly by jews in eastern europe before the holocaust.) one of her roles was as the cemetery or grave measurer (feldmesterin in yiddish). grave measuring was done when someone in the community was experiencing a very difficult childbirth or a child was seriously ill and all other treatments (exorcism, remedies from the healer/doctor, loud prayers in the synagogue) had been exhausted. the process looked like this:
“Two women went to the cemetery fence (boundary). They had with them a very long thread (the thread could not be the kind used by tailors but was that wool thread with which socks were mended. The thread had also been endowed with supernatural powers through an incantation). When both women arrived at the cemetery edge, they stopped and took the big ball of thread out of one of their pockets. One of them took one end of the thread, held it firmly in her hand, and, in order to keep it strong and precise, tied it around her finger. The other woman started to walk around the edge of the cemetery with the thread in her hand and continued in this way until the two women came together. Then they tied the two ends together, encircling the cemetery.” (excerpt from Yizker Bukh Koriv, translated by Annabel Gottfried Cohen)
they would close the ritual with this prayer: “Master of the universe, since we both pulled the thread with all our power, and the thread was not broken, shall all evil powers come to naught. The dear child’s life shall not – God forbid – be cut short.” but one time, the thread did snap. gitele, being quick on her feet, altered the prayer: “Master of the universe! Just as the thread was broken, shall the menacing decree of punishment also be broken!”
i know this bowl is gitele and not some other feldmesterin because of the crack that appeared during the first firing. thanks to my clever glazing and a post-firing application of epoxy with some gold dust (yes, really) mixed in, i’m confident that the strength and durability of this bowl is on par with my uncracked pieces. my heart sank when i first saw the crack, but the finished piece has fully endeared itself to me with its “imperfection” and glint of gold.
gitele is part of the matriarch series and is made from white stoneware clay. she measures 9 x 8.5 x 4 inches and was completed in 2025. if you are interested in learning more about the forgotten traditions of ashkenazi jewish women, do visit annie’s wonderful website, pulling at threads: pullingatthreads.com