The Precision of a Master: From the Air Force to Fine Judaica

The Engineer of the Soul: From Aircraft Mechanics to Master Silversmithing

In this photograph, taken around 1957, stands Carmel-Kamal Shabi, a proud young soldier in mandatory military service. During the 1956 Sinai Campaign (Mivtza Kadesh), he insisted on enlisting in the IDF despite being underage and underweight.

Carmel was a graduate of the Air Force Technical School in Haifa, specializing in aircraft construction. He possessed a rare brilliance for assembling planes, consistently breaking speed records. Initially mystified by his extraordinary pace, his commanders conducted rigorous inspections, suspecting he might be cutting corners. They soon realized they were witnessing a rare phenomenon: a flawless fusion of intuitive understanding and masterful technical skill that reduced assembly time by an astonishing 40%. Unsurprisingly, the military refused to let him go, and Carmel remained in permanent service for several years.

Decades later, he would channel these exact engineering capabilities into his Judaica masterpieces.

When I look at this particular 12-branched candelabra (ingeniously structured in two tiers), I am struck by its absolute, uncompromising precision. It operates like a flawless mechanism, looking as though it were engineered in a NASA laboratory rather than a traditional workshop. It is crafted entirely by hand from 1-mm thick 925 sterling silver.

In the world of Judaica, this is an exceptionally rare phenomenon. Standard silverware is commonly produced using thinner sheets of lower-grade 800 silver, often shaped through commercial metal spinning. My father's work defied these shortcuts.

If you have ever had the privilege of holding a piece crafted by my father, you will immediately recognize the sensation. It feels solid, deliberate, and deeply moving—always present, yet never heavy.

A Judaica collector recently asked me for a photograph of my father in his studio. Looking at this picture from 1957 of him as a young soldier, beaming with pride alongside the machinery he helped build, I realized: this is the very first picture of the artist-in-the-making in his studio. One way or another, he dedicated his unique genius to forging the resilience and heritage of the Jewish people.