Hillel Smith

YULA Courtyard Mural

This mural was commissioned by YULA Girls High School in Los Angeles as part of a revamping of their campus celebrating a new chapter in their history. I worked with the incoming administration and staff to pick the right quote for the mural. We settled on this verse from Psalms 92:14, which also appears in the Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday night: שתולים בבית ה׳ בחצרות אלהינו יפריחו, translated to mean "Planted in the house of Hashem, they will flourish in the courtyards of our God." We thought this was both a fun play on the location of this mural in the courtyard above a tree, as well as an encapsulation of the mission of the school to nurture the growth of young Jewish adults.

Jewish Hebrew graffiti mural YULA Jewish Hebrew graffiti mural YULA Jewish Hebrew graffiti mural YULA

Here is a video YULA put together of the creation of this project, featuring an interview with me.

Rabbi Spodek speaks about why the school chose this verse.