Hadad Bros
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| Founded: | |
|---|---|
| 1964 | |
| Owners: | |
| Haim & Hagziel Hadad | |
| Location: | |
| Bnei Brak, Israel | |
| Description: | |
| Hadad Bros is an family run silversmith company, producing a wide range of handmade silver Judaica for the Jewish home |
Hadad Bros is a well-known silversmith company in Israel, which produces a wide range of handmade silver Judaica for the Jewish home. Established in 1964 as a family run business, Hadad Bros is based in Bnei Brak , next door to Tel Aviv, and employs over 100 people.
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Background
Haim and Hagziel Hadad are two brothers who originally came from a prominent observant Jewish family in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. The family patriarch, Rabbi Shalom Hadad, was a skilled silversmith whose silverware was much in demand with wealthy Arabs and Jews alike. Unfortunately he died when the brothers were very young and the Hadad boys had to learn to support themselves. After the family moved to Israel, Haim and Hagziel were apprenticed to silversmiths in Tel Aviv to learn the trade. After gaining enough experience in different elements of silversmithing the two brothers decided to open their own business, Hadad Bros.
Factory
The Hadad Bros. company started very small with only two craftsmen, but its reputation for producing quality work quickly grew. As it expanded Hadad Bros. needed larger premises and eventually by 1992 the two brothers had an eight story factory building in Bnei Brak, giving enough room for their workshops, offices, and storerooms. Hadad Bros also has a large showroom (500 sq meter, over 5,000 sq ft) for displaying the large variety of silverware available:-from large elaborate branched candlesticks to simple small mezuzahs in all styles from traditional Judaica to modern designs.
The two brothers have divided the responsibility of the company between them. Haim Hadad acts as the general manager running the company on a day to day basis, while Hagziel Hadad is responsible for producing the Judaica designs. Their skilled employees hand make all the products starting with the raw silver and processing it through a variety of stages until the final piece of sterling silverware is ready for polishing and display.
Sterling Silver
Silver is quite a soft metal and it needs to be hardened before it can be turned into candlesticks, menorahs, ritual washing cups or other objects. Silver is normally alloyed (combined) with another metal, usually copper, to make it hard enough to work with. Silver is then categorized according to the ratio of silver to the alloy metal. A percentage of 92.5% silver to 7.5% alloy metal makes silver ‘sterling’ and often ‘925’ is stamped into the object as a hallmark.
Hallmarks
A hallmark is a symbol or series of symbols stamped or punched into an object to show that it is made from a precious metal like gold or silver. Many countries have official hallmarks, usually controlled by their ‘assay office’, which may indicate the company, the year the object was made, as well as the purity of the gold or silver. The Israel assay office is in Tel Aviv, and is part of The Standard Institution of Israel. However in Israel hallmarks for silver are voluntary at present.
Locations
Hadad Bros. which is now a three generation business have two stores in Jerusalem in addition to their store in Bnei Brak. They also have fascinating videos online showing how Hadad Bros. make their silverware, as well as an online presence.