In the heart of Jerusalem, nestled beneath the slopes of the City of David and adjacent to the vibrant First Station complex, lies one of the city’s most captivating, hidden gems – The Jerusalem Glassblowing Studio. More than just a workspace, it is a living, breathing experience that invites visitors to connect with an ancient art slowly fading from the modern world.
Glass is one of the most important and widely found materials in the modern world. Although occurring naturally as obsidian and volcanic glass, most of what we are familiar with is man-made. Windows keep the wind and other things out, while being transparent so we can see what’s on the other side. Modern sheet glass is so transparent, in fact, that if not for some reflected glare, you might not even see that it’s there.
Glass is such a pervasive substance that many things made from it are called by it: we drink from a glass, and you see closer with a magnifying glass and better with just glasses – which are also called spectacles – to help vision-poor spectators see what the spectrum of light could show them.
The roots of the word glass mean transparent, lustrous, shining, or glowing. Lewis Carroll’s Alice went through “the looking glass,” which was what they called mirrors in the late 19th century. Mirrors are transparent glass glazed to reflect all light instead of letting it pass through. According to etymonline.com, the Proto-Indo-European root of the word “glass” is also the ancestor of widespread words for gray, blue, green, yellow, and amber – making glass a rather colorful and de-light-ful substance!
An art with ancient roots
Glassblowing is one of the oldest crafts known to humanity, going back more than 6,000 years, long before iron smelting. The earliest known use of blown glass is attributed to the Phoenicians, in the region of the present-day Lebanese cities of Tyre and Sidon, spreading from there across the ancient world.
During the Middle Ages, glassblowing flourished in Venice, where a guild of expert artisans was established. Despite their revered craft, the intense heat of their furnaces frequently caused fires in the largely wooden city. As a result, the Venetian government relocated all glass production to the nearby island of Murano.
Glassblowing is a dynamic blend of creativity and precision. Extreme heat transforms solid glass into a viscous, honey-like liquid, allowing artists to shape it into stunning forms. Once cooled, the piece hardens into a permanent, expressive work of art. Such experiences are rare in today’s world – especially in Israel, where only a handful of artists practice this craft.
From village roots to city flame
Yael Vloch, founder and head instructor at the Jerusalem Glassblowing Studio, grew up in the small community of Beit El. She began her artistic journey by designing birthday cakes – a tasty, creative outlet that hinted at deeper artistic potential. At 19, inspired by her entrepreneurial mother, she enrolled in Bezalel Academy’s Ceramics and Glass Department, drawn by instinct more than direction.
Despite entering without a specific goal, Vloch quickly rose to prominence as a standout student. “At the end of my studies, when most graduates chose to pursue ceramics, I decided that I wanted to be different, so I chose to go with glass,” she says, adding that the art school “gave me lots of experience – and lots of confidence.”
The fine arts degree graduate continued learning her craft, interning at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle – “and also here was an Italian guy and a Russian girl.” She also studied art therapy, deepening her understanding of the emotional and personal dimensions of creative expression.
“After years of study and persistence, I opened a small studio, began giving private lessons, and steadily cultivated a community of passionate creators,” the glassmith says.
Then came Yossi: Balancing business and family
Everything changed when Vloch met Yossi Lieber – a Jerusalem native with a background in marketing and sales – at a whimsical ”onesie” (one-piece bodysuit) party in the Mahaneh Yehuda market. They connected instantly, and Lieber soon began helping her with the studio.
“When we met,” Lieber recalls, “Yael was balancing two jobs, teaching a little in the studio, and managing everything with a handwritten planner. I couldn’t believe how she did it.”
He digitized the studio’s operations, streamlined workflows, cut unnecessary costs, and laid the foundation for a comprehensive marketing strategy. The studio’s visibility and success soared.
After their daughter Arbel was born five years ago, Vloch left her other jobs to dedicate herself fully to the studio. Two years later, Lieber left his tech job to become a full-time partner. “Running a business as a couple while raising a family isn’t easy,” he admits. “We’re very conscious of how our professional roles can clash with our personal identities.”
Their strategy includes weekly date nights, couples counseling, and lots of humor. “Keeping each other laughing,” he says, “is essential.”
A hidden gem in Jerusalem
Today, the studio is located in the Jerusalem House of Quality – a picturesque artisan complex run by Yitzhak Weiss just a short walk from the First Station across from the Zion Hotel. Other craft studios there include stained glass, jewelry, ceramics, of course, and another glass artist who was taught by Vloch.
Their studio boasts 10 torch stations, making it one of the few places in Israel where students can systematically learn glassblowing. Unlike traditional glassblowing, which requires large furnaces, this torch-based method allows for smaller-scale creation – even at home.
“When a student decides to buy their own equipment and open their own studio,” Vloch says, “I couldn’t be prouder.”
Although it is called a glass “blowing” studio, glass sculpting is a major activity there. “I prefer teaching sculpting – it’s easier and more satisfying,” she says, “but most of what I make is blown.”
Each workstation has a fixed torch set at about chin level to blow the fire away from the budding glassmith. There are two pipes attached – a red one for propane, and a green one for oxygen. “The oxygen makes the flame hotter,” Vloch explains. There are exhaust vents above each station to purge the heat, the odor, and the smoke.
And how hot does it get?
“Between 1,400 and 1,600 degrees Centigrade,” she says, or 2,500-2,900° Fahrenheit. Water boils at just 100°C, so that’s rather hot for a fire that’s just about half a meter away from your face! “It’s even hotter than the glass furnaces that most students used at Bezalel, which are ‘only’ 1,000°-1,200°.” Steel melts at plus or minus 1,300°, which is right between the glass furnace and torch ranges.
Workshop participants are understandably afraid of the torch, although Vloch somewhat allays their fears by telling them that they probably won’t get burned from the fire. “You’re more likely to get burned from the glass piece you’re working on – although that is also very unlikely,” she says, because people know not to put their hand in the fire, but they might touch their glass art after it cools down enough so it’s not glowing red anymore. But it’s still extremely hot – like the grates on a gas stovetop, which don’t reveal their scorchiness.
“It takes about 10 minutes for the glass to cool enough to touch it,” she says: “That’s why there’s a rack to the left of the torch to put your work-in-progress.” There’s another rack on the right for the variously colored glass rods that the sculptors choose from to create their creations.
Glass for sculpting comes in meter-long rods that are between 50 mm. and 2 cm. wide. “We bought a literal ton of rods from China four years ago, and we’ve used up most of it,” Lieber says. Now one of their sources is a professional glassblowing company near Kfar Saba.
Unforgettable workshops
The couple’s studio offers hands-on, one-time workshops where anyone can create their own glass art.
The most popular session is the miniature workshop, where participants craft a glass animal, plant, or pendant in just two hours. For those who want more, there are five courses for both glass blowing and sculpting that are eight or 16 sessions each. “They are not cheap, but for those who want to invest, they’re worth it,” Lieber says.
Participants come from across the country – couples on dates, families celebrating milestones, or colleagues seeking a team-building activity. The studio can host up to 20 participants at a time, with options for larger events as well.
Many arrive uncertain: “I’m not artistic,” they say. But with guidance from Vloch and her exceptional, all-female team of instructors, participants leave empowered and smiling, proud of their unique creations. “I have four women glassblowers who all graduated from Bezalel like I did, who I trained to lead the workshops. They also come in on their free time to work on their own projects – as do workshop participants during their two-month-long courses,” she says.
Glass is for the birds
To get the full glass experience for this article, the couple gave me and my daughter Shirah a mini-workshop. First, Vloch introduced us to the craft, of course emphasizing the safety aspects. “You wear special goggles because you’re looking right into the flame” – which is both blue and fiery orange and yellow. They look like the dark glasses (plastic ones) that they give you at the theater to watch 3-D movies.
We would also be wearing thick aprons, in case our hot glass project fell on our laps. “If you do touch the hot glass, don’t worry – we have a sink right here and special cream, and you can go back to sculpting in a few minutes,” she reassures us.
We each take our places at our respective adjacent workstations, and she explains to us what to do. “Put the tip of the rod into the flame from the right; hold it level; when the orange-red glass ball forms at the end, keep turning the rod so the molten glass doesn’t sag,” she instructs.
We decide, from the choices given, to make little birds. We make the wings first, then the body, head, and beak. Each one is a separate piece of glass, so they can be different colors, and are attached later on. “When the ball gets to be about 1.5 cm. in diameter, take the tongs and squeeze it once to flatten it out,” she says, “and then put the tongs in water to cool them off.”
The rod now looks like a big swizzle stick, later to be formed into a wing shape. Then we make more little rod-ending balls for the head body and head, and leave them all on their respective rods, putting them on the cooling rack.
When all the parts are done, we heat a wing rod and the body one from either side of the flame; and when they are red hot, we gently touch one part to the other so they connect.
We are moving slowly and with concentration, while Vloch is running back and forth between the two of us to check how we’re doing. We succeed in making our own individual flying birds on a rod – to stick in a plant or a bottle (glass, of course) at home.
More than art
The studio experience offers more than technical skill – it’s meditative, grounding, and immersive. It helps people disconnect from screens (of glass) and reconnect with their breath, hands, and creativity. Two hours can feel like a moment of calm in a noisy world. In an age of endless consumption, this is a rare opportunity to become a creator.
The studio also embraces a strong social mission. Every month, Vloch gives a free workshop to displaced families, soldiers, or people affected by conflict. Those called up under emergency reserve duty are eligible for Defense Ministry-funded sessions.
Not everyone is eager to work with fire – and that’s okay. Every Friday, Lieber represents the studio at the Bezalel Street Art Fair, where his wife’s glass art is available for purchase, alongside the work of other Jerusalem-based creators.
Vloch recently participated in an exhibition at the Eretz Israel Museum, and her next show will open at Beit Binyamini in Tel Aviv on May 30.
The Jerusalem Glassblowing Studio is where glass takes shape – and meaning is made. It’s a sanctuary for creativity, reflection, and human connection. In a world that rushes forward, it’s reassuring to find a place where fire is still patiently used, not to destroy but to create.
The couple are deeply committed to advancing the field of glassblowing. They actively support their employees and students, offering guidance and encouragement to help them succeed in their own paths and continue growing the craft with passion and dedication.
To book a workshop or explore the studio’s art, follow @yaelvlochglass on Instagram or visit their website at https://www.yaelvloch.com/.
