Aliza Freedman is a Hebrew Calligrapher and Artist living in Melbourne, Australia. Since emigrating from South Africa in 1987 she has concentrated on producing Jewish Ceremonial Art, including Ketubot, Barmitzvah Portraits, Psalms and Prayers.

Aliza is married to Alan, and they have 3 children, Raphael Hersch (b. 1989),     Kelila Rachel (b. 1990) and Mikayla Rose (b.1993). All 3 children are involved in forms of Art, namely Architecture, Fine Art, Ceramics and Glass Sculpture, and Photography.

In 2001 Aliza completed a Certificate Course in 4-shaft Weaving, which compliments her National Diploma in Art and Design. In 2002 these skills were utilised in weaving a silk and wool Tallit for her son’s Barmitzvah.

Aliza has contributed to art in the community by providing many pieces over the years to be auctioned by Sotheby’s as major fundraisers for the Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne. She has also worked with schoolchildren of all ages, participating twice as Artist in Residence at Mount Scopus Memorial College.

Aliza has participated in several group exhibitions at the Jewish Museum of Australia, which have also been on tour throughout the country, as well as in a major “street” group exhibition, “Darkness to Light”, 2003, devoted to works celebrating the festival of Pesach.
Aliza has had one major solo exhibition “Chai”, 2004, featuring works in acrylic on paper, hand-cut.
In 2005 a Barmitzvah Portrait was a finalist in the Blake Prize for Religious Art (Sydney, Australia) and in the same year a set of 4 “Purim Portraits” was exhibited in London at the Ben Uri Gallery.

Two works, “Kaddish” (acrylic on rice paper), and “Rosh Hashana Challah Cover” (hand embroidered silk and appliquéd fabric) have been acquired by the Jewish Museum of Australia in Melbourne. All other works are in private collections.

“Life Prayer” (acrylic on paper, hand-cut) is featured in a calendar for 2008-2009, “Jewish Women Artisans around the World”, produced by the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, U.S.A.
Three works, “Ketuba”, “Mishloach Manot Platter” and “Purim Mask” are included in “500 Judaica, Innovative Contemporary Ritual Art”, a publication of Lark Crafts (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.) in New York, U.S.A.

Aliza is also participating in “Women of the Book”, a collaborative project of 54 International Jewish women, who will produce an artistic representation of a traditional Torah Scroll. Each artist has selected a portion to produce; Aliza’s Parasha is “Shelach Lecha”.

Aliza continues to be inspired by beautiful words that are found in religious and traditional Hebrew texts.