In the heart of Beit Shemesh, where ancient traditions meet modern living, Naama Goldberg sits at her computer, her fingers dancing across the keyboard. But she's not writing code anymore. Instead, she's transforming photographs of revered rabbis into striking contemporary artworks that are reshaping Jewish homes across the globe.
Goldberg, a former web developer with a background in computer science and mathematics, never saw herself as an artist. Growing up in a creative Johannesburg household, she was surrounded by artistic expression but always felt more at home with numbers and algorithms. "I was the mathematician, the scientist," she recalls. "While my sister painted comic murals on the garage walls, I excelled at computer science and math."
Yet today, her company, Ben Zion Fine Arts, is at the forefront of a revolution in Jewish home decor. Their laser-cut stainless steel portraits of gedolim (great Torah scholars) adorn offices and homes across four continents, bridging the gap between tradition and contemporary design.
The journey from tech to art began with a blank wall and a pre-Sukkot inspiration. What started as a simple Photoshop experiment with a photo of the Steipler Gaon has blossomed into a family enterprise. Goldberg's aeronautical engineer husband handles the technical production, while their children have become integral to the quality control process. "One of my sons excels at spotting mistakes," she says proudly, "so he's become our quality-control specialist."
As their collection grew to include Chassidic, Litvish, and Sephardic gedolim, so did the family's knowledge. "We bought books, scoured seforim stores for photos, learned a whole new vocabulary," Goldberg explains. "Our Shabbos table conversations now revolve around the lives of gedolim from all walks of Yiddishkeit."
In an exciting new development, Ben Zion Fine Arts has expanded their range to include artworks of Holy Places in Israel. This new line serves to broaden their audience, reaching Jews who may feel less connected to religious figures but still maintain a strong bond with Israel. Stunning renditions of the Kotel (Western Wall) and Kever Rachel (Rachel's Tomb) now stand alongside portraits of rabbis, offering a visual connection to Judaism's sacred sites.
"These pieces of the Holy Land allow Jews from all backgrounds to bring a piece of Israel into their homes," Goldberg explains. "Whether it's a portrait of a revered rabbi or an image of the Kotel, our art serves as a bridge between past and present, between different Jewish communities, and between individuals and their heritage."
The impact of Goldberg's work extends beyond private homes. "We can hang a picture of the Steipler in a corporate office of 16,000 mostly secular Israelis and no one bats an eyelash," she notes, "because it's presented in a way that looks beautiful and harmonious even to the modern eye."
For this computer scientist turned artist, each piece represents a perfect synthesis of her seemingly contradictory talents. The precision required in coding finds new expression in the meticulously cut metal portraits, while her analytical mind tackles the challenge of presenting tradition in a contemporary light.
"Sometimes," she says with a smile, "the most beautiful things come from unexpected combinations. My meticulous nature, which I once thought made me 'not an artist,' has become my greatest asset in creating art that bridges worlds."
These are the dates when Shuk to the Core will be coming to New York: December 10: Westchester, NY
December 11: Lincoln Square Synagogue, Manhattan
December 12: Yeshiva Har Torah Early Learning Center, Little Neck
December 14-15: HAFTR Middle School, Lawrence
December 16: Mid-Island JCC, Plainview
December 17: Kingsway Jewish Center, Brooklyn
December 18: Commonpoint Central Queens, Queens
All events are $5.00 pre-registration.