Recommendations

This is to affirm that I have the honour to know Mr. Zalman Leib (Jamie) Shear for many years and I wish to attest that Mr. Shear is a genuinely G-d fearing person who is an excellent Sofer (Scribe) whose work exhibits Halachic exactitude, precision and great beauty. He has written an excellent and beautiful Sefer Torah for my congregation, Noam Jewish Center of Montreal and it is truly a masterpiece. Mr. Shear is an expert of the laws of Torah Scrolls, Tefillin, and Mezuzot and all that pertains thereto. He is totally honest and reliable in all his undertakings, as well as being highly courteous, pleasant, and dignified. He may be completely relied upon in all that pertains to the field of Safrut.
 

-    Rabbi Joshua Shmidman

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I met Jamie Shear five years ago when I served as senior Rabbi for Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal.  Mr. Shear is a remarkably talented artist who fuses a passion for innovation with a love of tradition.  The beautiful Ketubah he created for our synagogue is a great asset to our community.

Those who worked with Mr. Shear to design the Shaar Hashomayim Ketubah did so with pride and those who purchase the Shaar Hashomayim Ketubah do so with delight.  I have worked with Mr. Shear on various projects over the years and they were always gratifying.  I remain a strong supporter of Mr. Shear’s artistic and scribal pursuits and I highly recommend others to engage him in creative ventures.

Rabbi Barry Gelman
United Orthodox Synagogues of Houston

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November 9, 2004
 25 Heshvan 5765

 To whom it may concern,

     It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation on behalf of Jamie Shear, a talented and gifted artist, calligrapher and Sofer.

     I have known Mr. Shear for nearly seven years. During this period, Mr. Shear has designed a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing Ketubbah exclusively for the use of Shaare Zion Congregation. He worked with a committee of lay leaders to produce an illuminated text that was pleasing to the eye, met the sophisticated tastes of discriminating women and was within the synagogue's budget. The original text was calligraphed in the style of a Sofer Stam and each time a Ketubbah is purchased, Mr. Shear personally fills in the pertinent information in a style that matches seamlessly with the text that has now been lithographed.

     As a human being, Mr. Shear is a gentle, nurturing individual. Mr. Shear is at once a religiously observant, pious, young Jew, with purity of soul and spirituality and at the same time a thoroughly modern young adult of the twenty-first century with a wide-ranging taste in music that ranges from Hasidic to Classical Rock. Mr. Shear has gained the respect of the leading Orthodox rabbis in Montreal and by extension shows the deepest respect for non-Orthodox rabbis and lay people alike. His skill as a Sofer commended him to write his first Torah scroll for use by one of the leading Torah scholars in Montreal and his artistic skills make him one of the most sought after calligraphers and Ketubbah designers inside and outside of Montreal.

     Supporting Mr. Shear in his artistic and scribal efforts can only benefit the Jewish people as a whole, to say nothing of the lasting credit it will bring to his direct patrons, clients and benefactors.


Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Lionel Moses


Shaare Zion Congregahon
5575 Cote St. Luc Road, Montréal, Québec H3X 2C9
Tel.: (514) 481-7727 Fax: (514) 481-1219