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| Nishima Kaplan | |
| If you are now wondering, "Where does the name 'Nishima' come from?" you are posing the most frequently asked question I ever receive.
My father, an Indian Hindu, had an idea he should give his first daughter the name 'Nishi,' or a "good night" in Hindi. Nishi being a nickname, he decided to lengthen Nishi to the Japanese 'Nishima,' but to call me Nishi. As a young adult, as I was finding my deepest soul drawn to Judaism, my Jewish friends began asking me if my name was taken from 'Neshama,' or "Soul" in Hebrew. Thus, when I converted to Judaism, I reclaimed my birth name Nishima in honor of my Hebrew Soul, my Neshama. I was born in 1969 to parents who had recently immigrated from England and India. With a Christian mother and a Hindu father, I was relatively free to explore religion and identity on my own. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, my spiritual quest led me to Judaism. I graduated from Penn in 1992 with degrees in Russian studies and Multinational Management from the Wharton School of business. Yet I continued to search for my life's work. I soon discovered that my deepest passion and destiny was to be an artist. I continued my studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. I studied at the Academy for three years, receiving a classical training in drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpting. In 1998, I designed and painted my first Ketubah as a wedding gift for friends. Since then I have worked with dozens of couples to create my original ketubahs. Recently I have been drawing upon my business school training to develop this artistic work into a true business. I live and work in Ashveville, North Carolina. |
Other Articles in this Issue by Nishima Kaplan
My Transition into Motherhood
Standing in for God: Parenting as a Spiritual Jew, Part I
Love your Child as Yourself: Parenting as a Spiritual Jew, Part II
Freedom and Respect: Parenting as a Spiritual Jew, Part III
Caring for Myself: Parenting as a Spiritual Jew, Part IV
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