Looking for Israeli art that supports Israel? A Hibuk Otef art gift box places an original Bezalel illustration — a "Wrapping Memory" print of the Gaza Envelope as it looked before 7 October 2023 — inside a kosher gift you can send anywhere in Israel or abroad. This guide covers the art itself: who drew it, where the money goes, what you physically receive, and which box to pick at which price. For the wider picture, our guide to buying Israeli gifts that support real producers maps the whole category.

Hibuk Otef — The Story Behind Every Gift

Hibuk Otef ("Enveloping Embrace") is a unique boutique gift initiative that brings together products from the communities of the Gaza Envelope and Israel's southern and northern frontier, alongside works of art that commemorate the beauty of the region. The project was founded to support local producers, farmers and entrepreneurs who were affected. 60% of revenues go directly to producers from the affected communities.

What Is the Bezalel "Wrapping Memory" Print Project?

"Wrapping Memory" (Zikaron Otef) is an illustration initiative of the Department of Visual Communication at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, developed by Amit Trainin, head of the department's illustration track. Roughly 70 illustrations were contributed by faculty, alumni and fourth-year students — every one of them a volunteer. The brief was deliberately narrow: draw the kibbutzim, fields and public spaces of the Gaza Envelope as they were before 7 October 2023, with an emphasis on landscape and everyday places rather than the attack itself. Bezalel ran the project in cooperation with the Shoresh Fund and with Wix, which built the project site. The result is a body of work that functions as a record: the ordinary beauty of a region, drawn from memory and photographs, at the moment it was nearly erased. Each Hibuk Otef box carries one of these prints, so that record travels — gift after gift.

Digital Download or Framed Print? What ₪52 Actually Buys You

This is the question most buyers never think to ask, and the answer is concrete. On Bezalel's own Wrapping Memory site you choose an illustration, make a ₪100 donation (about $33), and receive an A4 digital file by email to print yourself. That route sends 100% of your money to the Shoresh Fund — it is the right choice if a donation is what you want.

A Hibuk Otef box is a different transaction. The ₪52 (≈ $17) framed Padya print is a physical object: a 13×18 cm illustration, printed double-sided on 300 gsm wood-free paper, mounted in a 21×16 cm white or light-blue frame, ready to hang or stand. It costs about half the digital donation and arrives as something a person can unwrap.

Want to donate and print it yourself? Use the Bezalel site.
Want to give someone an object? A framed print or a gift box does that.
Want both? Every framed print in our range carries a built-in contribution to the Shoresh Fund, stated on the product page itself.

How Buying Art Actually Supports Israeli Artists and Communities

A gift is not a donation, and the difference matters more than it sounds. When you buy a Hibuk Otef art box, 60% of the revenue goes directly to producers from the affected communities; the remainder covers the product itself, packaging, the art card and delivery. You receive a real object with a market value. The makers receive income, not charity — which is what lets a print house or a chocolate workshop rebuild a payroll rather than wait for the next appeal.

The art carries its own layer on top of that. The Padya framed print states on its product page that every picture embeds a contribution to the Shoresh Fund, which provides immediate assistance to Gaza Envelope residents — the same fund Bezalel channels its own project donations to. So an art purchase moves money along two tracks at once: to the producer who made the object, and to the fund supporting the region the illustration depicts. Our full breakdown of where every shekel goes sets out the model in detail.

Choose by Budget — Israeli Art Gift Boxes

Every option below carries a "Wrapping Memory" illustration, is kosher, and ships across Israel or worldwide. Prices are VAT-inclusive shekels with an approximate dollar figure at ₪3.01 = $1. Two notes worth reading before you pick: one item has a minimum order, and one contains alcohol — both are flagged on the box itself below.

Padya — Framed "Wrapping Memory" Art Print — ₪52 (≈ $17)

The connection to the topic: the purest form of the gift — the artwork alone, framed and ready to hang. A 13×18 cm double-sided print on 300 gsm wood-free paper in a 21×16 cm frame, white or light-blue, with the illustrator's details supplied separately. Every purchase embeds a contribution to the Shoresh Fund. No minimum, no alcohol. View the framed art print.

Alma — Six Bezalel "Wrapping Memory" Prints — ₪104 (≈ $35)

The connection to the topic: a small gallery in a box — six selected illustrations at 15×20 cm, double-sided, on 300 gsm wood-free paper, in a 22×18×3 cm presentation box. Best for someone who wants to choose, rotate or frame several. ⚠️ This box has a minimum order of 3, in multiples of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12 …) — it is built for a team gift or a group order, not a single send. Browse the Alma art set.

Lev — Large Framed "Wrapping Memory" Picture — ₪116 (≈ $39)

The connection to the topic: the same project at wall scale. An A4 illustration in a 33×24 cm frame — the option to choose when the art is the whole gift and it needs presence in a room rather than on a shelf. No minimum, no alcohol. See the large framed picture.

Family Hug Box — Art, a Conversation Game and Israeli Flavours — ₪177 (≈ $59)

The connection to the topic: the art placed inside a shared experience. A 15×20 cm "Wrapping Memory" print travels with the "Hibuk Otef" card game — 24 task-and-question cards designed to open honest conversation at any age — plus 100 g of low-heat-dried Israeli fruit (mango, persimmon, apple, banana, blueberry), 200 g of roasted nuts, 50 g of chocolate-coated nuts and two date-and-nut energy bars with no added sugar. Alcohol-free, which makes it the safe choice for a mixed or observant household. Open the Family Hug box.

Gali — Art With a Full Israeli Table — ₪293 (≈ $97)

The connection to the topic: the print as the centrepiece of a full spread. A 15×20 cm double-sided illustration alongside 250 ml cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, Upper Galilee wildflower honey (200 g), four handmade pralines, an 80 g boutique chocolate bar, 200 g roasted nuts, a preservative-free fruit conserve (240 g) and a savoury spread (185 g). ⚠️ Contains alcohol — a 700 ml limoncello — so it is not the box to send to a non-drinking recipient. See the Gali box.

The Makers Behind the Art

Every print and product here carries a name. These are four of them, and each is verifiable on the product page rather than in our marketing copy.

Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem — the source of the artwork. Lecturers, alumni and fourth-year Visual Communication students volunteered roughly 70 illustrations of the Gaza Envelope as it was before 7 October, under illustration head Amit Trainin. Our founder, Neta Lin Cohen, is herself a Bezalel graduate, which is how these prints came to sit inside a food gift in the first place.

The Shoresh Fund — the beneficiary named on the framed prints. Shoresh works on immediate assistance to Gaza Envelope residents, and is the same fund Bezalel routes the Wrapping Memory project's own donations to. It is stated on the product page, not inferred.

Be'eri Printing, Kibbutz Be'eri — the kibbutz print house, founded in 1950 and for decades one of Be'eri's main sources of income. After 7 October its banner read, "Despite everything, we must keep printing." It produces framed prints, greeting cards and recipe books that travel in our boxes — every order a quiet confirmation that the presses are still running.

"Shokolad Cafe" and ROY CHOCOLATE — the chocolate story behind several boxes. Dvir Karp, the chocolatier of Shokolad Cafe in the Gaza Envelope, was murdered on 7 October 2023. The chocolatier Roy, of ROY CHOCOLATE, stepped in to keep the workshop alive, producing pralines inspired by Dvir's work; the packaging is printed at Be'eri. Proceeds go toward commemorating him, supporting his family and Shokolad Cafe, and the Otef communities.

Want the full roster? Meet the makers behind every box.

Sending Art to Israel and Abroad — Delivery, Customs and Kosher

Buying from inside Israel is the practical advantage here, and it is a pricing fact rather than a slogan. A box ordered from us and delivered to an address inside Israel never crosses a border — no customs declaration, no import VAT, no clearance delay. A parcel sent into Israel from abroad faces Israel's personal-import rules: under $75 is exempt; $75–$500 clears duty-free but still attracts 18% VAT; above $500 is treated as a commercial import. Cross-border parcels also routinely take weeks rather than days once clearance is counted.

For recipients outside Israel we ship worldwide, costed by size, weight and destination — typically up to 15 days, with a faster 7-day option for an added fee. Framed glass items travel with protective packing. Every box is kosher under local rabbinate supervision, and most are Badatz, so it is safe for an observant home; specific kashrut requirements can be matched on request. If you are comparing routes, our guide to sending gifts to Israel without customs or duties works through the thresholds in full.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the prints originals or reproductions?

They are high-quality printed reproductions of original illustrations, not one-off artworks — which is precisely what makes the project work: an original would reach one person, while a print run funds the region repeatedly. Each is printed double-sided on 300 gsm wood-free paper, and the illustrator's details are supplied with the piece. Sizes run 13×18 cm framed (Padya), 15×20 cm loose in the gift boxes, and A4 in the large Lev frame.

Is there a minimum order?

For almost everything, no — you can order a single box or a single print. The one exception in this guide is the Alma six-print set, which is sold in multiples of 3 (3, 6, 9, 12 and so on). For business or bulk orders we build a quote around your budget, recipient count and branding level.

Do any of these gift boxes contain alcohol?

Some do, and the box name never tells you. In this guide the Gali box contains a 700 ml limoncello; the Padya print, Alma set, Lev frame and Family Hug box are all alcohol-free. If the recipient does not drink, say so when ordering and we will confirm a suitable box — do not rely on the product title alone.

What is the "Wrapping Memory" (Zikaron Otef) project?

It is an illustration initiative of the Visual Communication department at Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, developed by illustration head Amit Trainin with the Shoresh Fund. Around 70 faculty members, alumni and final-year students volunteered artworks commemorating the Gaza Envelope as it was before 7 October 2023. Each of our art boxes includes one of these prints.

Can you deliver art gifts both inside Israel and abroad?

Yes. Inside Israel, delivery is domestic — no customs, no import VAT for the recipient. Abroad, we ship worldwide with cost set by size, weight and destination; delivery is usually up to 15 days, with a faster 7-day option for an added fee.

How to Order

Ready to send art that supports Israel? Order through our website, message us on WhatsApp at 054-2207955, or email netalc24@gmail.com, and we will match a box to your occasion, your budget and your recipient's preferences.

Written by Neta Lin Cohen — founder of Hibuk Otef, architect and Bezalel graduate, with 30+ years of experience in culinary gifting.

Israeli Art That Supports Israel — Bezalel Prints From ₪52