A suffering formerly Orthodox artist spreads a Jewish spark in northern Maine
Raphael Gribetz at his home in Presque Isle, Maine. (Janine Strong/ via JTA) Raphael Gribetz at work on a crucifix for a local Catholic parish in Presque Isle, Maine. (Courtesy of Gribetz/ via JTA) Artist Raphael Gribetz has made his home in the northern Maine city of Presque Isle since 1988. (Scott Olson/ vis JTA) PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (JTA) — In this speck of a city lives an artist who starts his mornings swathed in a tallit and tefillin, spends most of his days making biblically inspired works of art and whiles away the evenings picking out Schubert sonatas on the piano.