All girls who have partaken in a study-abroad program in Israel - whether it be Year Course, Israel Experience, some sort of Birthright combination or seminary - every Jewish meideleh has heard of, visited and purchased from Hadaya. Nestled in the heart of the Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, Hadaya has been a staple of every seminary (sem) girls' diet, along with noshing in Mahne Yehuda and making the occasional stop (or three) at Burger's Bar on Jaffa Street.
Hadaya is a one-of-a-kind jewelry shop specializing in engravings that was founded by the late Baruch Hadaya (z"l may his memory be a blessing). Whether it be a quote from the Torah, the outline of the Jerusalem skyline, or a Yiddish proverb, it has become synonymous with the American Jewish Girl, a right of passage, if you will.
My own Hadaya experience was an extremely meaningful one. I say "experience" because one does not simply walk into the store, make a purchase and walk out. As soon as you enter the centuries-old stone structure, you are instantly mesmerized by the gold, silver and overwhelmingly authentic atmosphere. I ventured into Hadaya with my mother, who was visiting me from Philadelphia, while I was studying abroad in Israel at Bar Ilan University. Choosing a quote to put on my bagel necklace was a true bonding experience for us both. Eventually we chose, "זה לא על השם שאתה נתון, אלא את השם שאתה משאיר מאחור". This translates to, "It is not about the name you are given, rather the name you leave behind". We felt this was a very appropriate quote, given this unique time in my life. "The Team" as second-generation owner, Esh Hadaya lovingly refers to them, was there every step of the way, from helping us choose the piece to the engraving process and beyond, it was truly a one-of-a-kind experience.
This is why, I was particularly excited to interview Esh himself:
Sababa and the City: How did seminary girls, or "Yeshiva Girls" as you call them become such a huge clientele? What started it? What keeps them coming back?
Esh Hadaya: In 1991, Baruch Hadaya (z"l) was engraving the phrase “Gam Ze Yaavor” on rings, mostly for free and on rings he did not make. The seminary girls came in asking for biblical quotes to be engraved and Baruch, devoted to his customers, started doing just that. As requests for engraving grew, he decided to lower the price point and make a simple ring named after his new best fans and the “Yeshiva Collection” was born. Over time, we collected the seminary girls favorite biblical quotes and printed out a first booklet which will come to be our HadayasBook.com Since Hadaya was always about personalizing your one of a kind piece, our customer service had to be personal as well. We believe both the meaning behind the jewelry and our devotion to keep our customers smiling is what keeps them coming back.
SATC: In your opinion, What is the Hadaya experience and what makes it so special?
Esh: Not only the piece you will get is one of a kind, it’s also one you customize according to the meaning of your choosing, wearing your phrase as a reminder of what’s truly important. If you come to Hadaya’s studio, located in the heart of the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem, you will find a unique energy and our always-smiling staff. As for Hadaya’s online store, we tried making a complicated order process fairly simple. Each design has it’s own character limit, so you’d know how much room we have to engrave. Using HadayasBook.com mark your favorite quotes (over 500 quotes by now), then each design will only show quotes which fit.
SATC: Where does the inspiration for the designs come from?
Esh: In-house. Early designs were all by Baruch Hadaya, but for the past few years, it’s been the Team designing most of everything. Each member has their own style. Inspiration is all around us in the Old City of Jerusalem and keeping an authentic look of handmade jewelry using the techniques and style we learned from Baruch.
SATC: Is Hadaya as popular with native Israelis as it is with tourists?
Esh: Not at all. Most of our customers are from foreign countries, mainly the U.S. The reason may lay with the fact that our Hebrew engraved pieces emphasize the connection to Israel, hence more popular abroad.
SATC: How (if at all) has your business model changed since Hadaya first opened?
Esh: When Baruch started Hadaya in 1983, he was a 33 year-old artist in search of his true calling. Fighting to survive, Baruch was selling most, if not all expensive jewelry, finding a new customer every few weeks and working on one big piece at a time. Since Hebrew engraving kicked into high gear, we are able to touch more people with our designs. Our online presence has grown in the past 20 years and also assists us in defining our current direction. In short, Hadaya used to be about surviving and now, we're all about empowering.
SATC: What are your top 5 most popular pieces?
Esh: We can start with both Yeshiva Bracelet and Yeshiva Ring of course, then the two most popular necklaces, the Bagel and Heart. Last is probably one of the spiral rings Double or Triple Spiral are the two latest designs which have become very popular these last couple of years.
SATC: Finally, what does "Sababa" mean to you?
Esh: We’ve engraved the word Sababa many times, as for it’s meaning... maybe saying the word “cool” and making it sound more “fun” = “Sababa” :)
**As a special gift to my readers, please enjoy $9 off of your order and 50% off of international shipping. **
Use code: HADSABABA2
Every piece starts out the same but by the end of the experience, becomes unique to the person who wears it. ♥