When Lipa Schmeltzer promises, Lipa Schmeltzer delivers.
That was a lesson that Barack Obama learned firsthand two weeks ago, when he was presented with a gold and silver yarmulke made by the Chasidic superstar, a gift promised to the president when the two met at a holiday celebration several months ago.
Schmeltzer was among those at the White House on December 9, 2015, for the annual White House menorah lighting. After leading the crowd in a rousing rendition of Maoz Tzur, Schmeltzer leaped at the chance to exchange a few words with both the president and the first lady.
Told by Schmeltzer that he was going to make him a gold and silver yarmulke, President Obama quipped, “I’ve been looking for a gold and silver yarmulke.” But while the president may have been joking, Schmeltzer had every intention of following through on his promise.
Going back to his home in Airmont, New York, Schmeltzer began to contemplate his options. Buying a gold and silver yarmulke like the one he had worn to the White House for his Chanukah visit was out of the question.
“Those yarmulkes don’t fit properly on your head unless you are a rebbe,” Schmeltzer told The Jewish Link. “And as an artist, I wanted to do something a little different. I know how to use music to entertain audiences, to heal the sick and even in my shul. But how do you make a yarmulke that would be appropriate for the president?”
Tapping into his creative side, Schmeltzer quickly realized that crafting the promised headgear using actual gold and silver components was going to a very expensive proposition, particularly since a White House staffer told Schmeltzer that he needed to make a yarmulke for not just the president, but also for the first lady as well. Instead, Schmeltzer decided to scale back his yarmulka plans, just a little, while upping the ante with an original piece of art.
“I wanted to do something magnificent but still be normal,” explained Schmeltzer. “I couldn’t go crazy.”
Drawing on his coursework at Columbia University where Schmeltzer is currently majoring in visual arts and creative writing, Schmeltzer came up with an original 18-line poem titled Obamaism. Well known for his imaginative prose in the Jewish music world, Schmeltzer took the same approach to his presidential poem.
“There are a lot of things hidden in the poem,” Schmeltzer told The Jewish Link. “Every line has something special, almost like a song. The words ‘needing healing’ are a reference to Obamacare and there are quite a few others. I had three professors skimming through it before I went to the next stage and they had me change only four words.”
Using a pair of ecru and gold woven yarmulkes as his canvas, Schmeltzer designed his gift, with a silvery embroidered image of the White House superimposed over a Bais Hamikdash stitched in gold. Schmeltzer trimmed the outer edge of the yarmulka with a row of the sterling silver rectangles typically used to adorn a tallis and personalized the yarmulkes with the words “President Obama” and “First Lady Michelle” sewn in royal blue thread. After having his poem embroidered on a large rectangle of blue velvet, Schmeltzer framed his artwork and got to work on implementing his plan: getting it to the White House in a way that would ensure that it would actually be seen by the Obamas, which was no small task.
“I thought for a while and suddenly remembered that four years ago I had gone to Johns Hopkins for a Shabbos as a mitzvah and I met someone there who had a government job in Washington,” said Schmeltzer. “I called him up and said ‘there has to be some way you can get me in so I can keep my word.’”
An hour later Schmeltzer’s contact called him back, telling him the arrangements had been made with a senior advisor at the White House. Schmeltzer was told that instead of having his gift sent to a warehouse, it would be taken from his hands directly to the Oval Office.
Scheduled to headline a Yom Ha’atzmaut concert at The National Synagogue in Washington D.C. on May 12, Schmeltzer arranged his presidential visit for the same day. White House staffers told Schmeltzer that they loved the gift and he is eagerly awaiting a promised letter from the Obamas. Meanwhile he is elated to have had the opportunity to make good on his word.
“A little bit of positivity can make a big difference,” said Schmeltzer. “While I am not into politics, I thought this was a good opportunity to make a big kiddush Hashem.”
By Sandy Eller
Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who writes for numerous websites, newspapers, magazines and many private clients. She can be contacted at [email protected].
