I SOGNATORI

Born in France in Toulouse, the pink city, of ‘Hananiah Abergel and Esther Malka (née Berdah). Second of three children.
 
Until adolescence he lives in the countryside in St Ferréol. Around the age of 12, his mother had him take violin lessons that he will follow for 2 years but he decides to stop music to devote himself to drawing and painting. His father who is a merchant in furniture and antiques is passionate about art encourages him to develop his taste for drawing. At the age of 12 he offered him a easel. This relationship which is born between them, that of an admirer of the painters and a budding painter eager for advice and knowledge, continues all their lives.

At the age of 14 following the divorce of his parents he left to live with his mother and his two sisters in Toulouse. During this period he discovered the B.D to which he will not stop devoting himself to the age of 22. During the years in Toulouse he looked a lot, and in addition to a passion for photo and cinema he begins to take an interest in painting. After starting scientific studies, he ended up obtaining an artistic bacchalaureate which leads him to register for the school of architecture in which he will study 2 years. Before taking his exams to enter the third year, he decided to give up to study at St Luc school in Brussels, at the B.D. He will study there for 2 years. During this period he discovered contemporary art and contemporary artists and decided to stop the B.D to devote himself, too, to contemporary art.

He left to live in Italy, in Florence to register in a painting school. During his registration the director of the school at the sight of his work pointed out to him that he would waste his time pursuing studies and that the time had come to embark on life. He will listen to his advice and start a lonely journey. After a year spent in Florence, he left the "Dolce Vita" to return to Toulouse where he spent the Beaux Arts competition he succeeded, but he will only stay a few months at the Fine Art that he will finally leave to devote himself to painting alone. During his brief stay at the Fine Art in Toulouse he meets Annie Merle who sees her work and chooses him among the artists to whom she devotes a work which she will publish entitled: "The painters of the Toulouse school".
 
Until the age of 27, he will not stop working to paint and draw without ever being able to integrate into an artistic environment, whether in the world of galleries or whether in the middle of painters. Although he does not manage to exhibit his works he continues his research. He is 27 years old and decides to make a real life. His parents, who work in the sale of furniture, help him become a seller. He first worked in his father's store and his mother brings him with her to teach him the job. After difficult beginnings he acquired good bases which allow him to go to live and work alone in a store in Paris. He will work there for 3 years. During this period he continues to draw, most of the time on the blocks that we use for sales. He paints a few paintings and made many drawings from the streets of Paris during his rest days.

 
His older sister who at that time became a religious, sends her books relating to the deep part of the Torah, to ‘Hassidism‘ Habad and the Rabbi in Loubavitch.
 
During the holidays he made a trip to Tahiti and Bora Bora. This trip will be decisive in his life because he will wake up again his desire to paint and create to the point that following this trip he decides to resign from his work as a seller to devote himself to painting.  He then travels to Montreal in Canada to visit his young sister who has lived there for some time. He makes Haim Sherff's meeting there. This Israeli religious painter who lives in Montreal makes him aware of the importance of being attached to his roots, and recommends him to become more religious by studying the Torah. Indeed, art according to him cannot be dissociated from the divine spirit expressed in the Torah.  YAAKOV hears these recommendations and begins in parallel with his work as an artist a religious journey under the influence of the master of ‘Hassidism‘ Habad: Le Rabbi de Loubavitch.

His new habits naturally lead him to pray every morning at the synagogue on rue Pallaprat where the Grand Rabbin Eliahou Haik also prays, and the Chabbath at the Chalia’h synagogue in Rabbi in Toulouse: the Rav Yossef-Itez’hak Matusof which was the first to discover the Rabbi and the Hassidic world. It was during this period that he discovered the Tanya book with Rav Gabriel Sebagh. He also studied ‘Hassidouth‘ Habad with Rav Israel Zerdoun.
 

He returns to live in Toulouse. His mother meets Dany Simon who owns an art gallery and who organizes a first exhibition that brings together works inspired by the religious world.
 

It was at this time that he met Liba through David and Edith Hagège, friends of his older sister, and that he will marry on June 22, 1997 in Lyon. A year after her marriage, the couple decided to join Yaakov's sister and her husband Samuel Marquès who have lived in Israel for a year and settles in Jerusalem.
 
He spends less and less time to paint and draw because he devoted himself to the study of the Torah, first to the Yéchiva du Rav ‘Haï Barkats then and especially to the Kollel of the Rav Shimon Elitouv under the direction of the Rav Avraham Kot. He spent 4 years at Kollel and obtained the rabbinical ordination of the Rav Itz’hak Yéhoudah Yérouslavski.  It was during this period that he meets a decisive person in his life, the Rav Ytz’hak-Tsvi Eizenbakh with whom he will study for many years Hassidouth and in particular the book of the Tanya. He attends many Hassidouth lessons, including courses given by Rav Aaron-Mordé’hi Zilberstraum, Rav Chmouel Weinfeld, Rav Chnéor-Zalman Gopin, Rav Avraham-Baroukh Pevzner and Rav Moche Weiner. He mainly attaches himself to Rav Yossef-Itez’hak Offen whose lessons he takes to this day.

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His artistic taste will naturally lead him to study Sofrouth in Bneï Brak at the Rav Gerschtenkorn which was recommended to him by Rav Moshe Landau. He obtains the SMI’ha of Sofer of Rav Yérouslavski, which will allow him to exercise the profession of Sofer until today by writing the KTAV of the Hazaken Admour.
 
In addition, he also obtained a Smi’ha de Cho’heth from Rav Shimon Elitouv but apart from the Kapparoth he makes with his friend of Kollel the Rav Yaakov Cho’hat he will not exercise this profession.
 
In 2000, birth of his daughter ‘Haya-Mouchka in Jerusalem on the day of Purim Katan.
 
He changes Kollel and begins to study dayanouth at the Kollel ‘Ariel’ until today, with the Rav Moshe Pinder. He devotes himself more and more to painting and painted many portraits of the masters of ‘Habad. Its creation is increasingly diversifying and it begins a series of navies on wooden pallets.
 
In addition to his studies and his artistic work he devotes a lot of time to the writing of works based on the teaching of masters of Habad and Rabbi, and in particular on the essence of the soul. This subject will not leave him anymore. He thus publishes 3 books.
 
In 2009, birth of his two sons on Lag Ba Omer day.
 
He continues to write a novel started in recent years which brings together travel memories (in particular the trip to Bora-Bora) and reflections on Téchouva. His work is called "Colors in the veins" and reveals his passion for art.
 
His sister organizes an exhibition of his paintings in Raanana in the “Merkaz Giron” gallery. The opportunity is given to him to present in large paintings a small overview of all of his work based essentially on the Hassidic world.
 
He then meets Yaakov Benhaim and Moshe Krieger from Météor Lemag magazine who will spend a video on this occasion. This meeting marks the beginning of a collaboration, which will be born the production of Torah and Hassidouth courses.
 
The dissemination of the sources of ‘Hassidouth is at the center of his concerns and while continuing his studies he provides many courses around him. His artistic activity is intensifying and an incalculable number of drawings is added to his paintings.
 
His friend Nissim Belma puts him in touch with his brother Elie with whom he designs a site whose objective is to make known his artistic work and to disseminate the sources of ‘Hassidouthi outside.
 
Since his exhibition in Raanana, he has been used to writing extracts from the Hassidic speeches of the Rabbi de Loubavitch on his paintings. Mixing the words with the images, the painter seems to be able to finally express his love for painting and for the writing he unites on his paintings.
 

"You no doubt know that the quality of a painter consists in obscuring the external aspect of an object, to forget his contours, to penetrate it, to grasp the deep aspect and the essence, in order to express it by his canvas. Thus, the one who will contemplate it will perceive what he had not previously noticed, when the inner part was hidden by accessory elements." 

Rabbi de Loubavitch