As often happens, Steinmetz was inspired to create this

model by a visitor to her Raanana studio, who, having seen the

miniatures in her show window, suggested this special project.

Nava made a special trip to Kfar Chabad, where followers of the

Rebbe first screened a short video about the Rebbe, and then

showed her around the life-size duplicate of the Rebbe's office.



"When I entered the room, I was moved and felt the spirit of the

Divine Presence, and was spiritually inspired and uplifted by the

power and status of the large room, by the giant library full of holy

volumes, by the stained glass windows – with the Rebbe's desk

and chair standing in the center."


"I took a number of photographs and said to myself that this would

be a miniature that would not be difficult to construct, yet that

would be very challenging. When I returned to my studio, I


transferred the pictures to my computer, and when I viewed them

with magnification I understood that I was in error.


While the office is rather modest, it also has a very intricate beauty

that is not obvious at first glance. Special wood etchings on the

doors, etchings on the bookcases, window frames with a number

of layers, cornices on the ceiling, and more.


"I had to go back to Kfar Chabad. On my second visit, I had new

photographs done by a professional photographer, and I took the

measurements of every detail of the office in order to maintain

proper scale.


"For a long time after my second visit to Kfar Chabad, I planned

and considered how to make the various items. I searched every

possible website, throughout the world, to find the correct

cornices, the lamps, and other materials. I couldn't find all of the

ornamentation and cornices, so I had to make them myself.


"I began the work by making sketches based on the

measurements, and then came the stage of cutting pieces for the

many shelves, the wood window frames, the doors, and the desk

components. The hundreds of books in the room were sketched

and designed on the computer, and then were glued, almost one

by one.


"The creation of the ornamentations, the cornices, and the

numerous wood etchings on the upper portions of the bookcases,

and next to the lamps between the bookcases, required a great

amount of etching, sculpting, and cutting of the various materials.

To achieve the correct and precise shade of paint, I painted

several coats of paint and then visited the Rebbe's office again to

check that the color was actually correct, because it is very difficult

to precisely remember color, and photographs change the shades

depending on the lighting at the time the photo is taken.


"I created the floor just like a real hardwood floor, as it is in the

Rebbe's office. I glued it together from many pieces of wood, and

applied wood stain until achieving the precise color."



Not only the office's interior was modeled in miniature, but also the

external portions – the wall containing the main entranceway

within the building painted white and decorated with wood

stripping, a wall housing the windows, and another wall faced with

hundreds of red bricks.



This is the first miniature model in the world of the Rebbe's office,

including some 2,064 individual pieces that were cut, processed,

and painted by artist Nava Steinmentz in her Raanana studio.



Following is a list of the pieces that comprise the miniature:

185 pieces for the shelves and cabinets around the office.

328 pieces for wood strips for windows and cornices.

14 pieces for door handles.

561 pieces for holy books.

49 pieces for upper white panels and the flowered squares.

87 pieces for the brown panel above the shelves.

10 pieces for wood ornamentation between the lamps behind the desk.

2 pieces for the door etchings.

828 pieces for red mosaic tiles.