In his Rosh Hashanah mural, a boy stands and blows the shofar at a table with a round challah, while children eat apples and honey. When he finished that, Lee started on murals depicting the different Jewish holidays. His first creation: A mural depicting the six days of creation featuring a bright sun, crashing waves, blooming flowers, a monkey swinging from a tree and a soaring eagle. “We just told him to make it child-friendly and vibrant, and he just brought it to life,” she said. “We decided we wanted to brighten up the play yard and that it would improve the school. “We had this blank wall, and the kids were starting to draw with chalk on it,” said Cheryl Schwarz, director of the synagogue’s Gan Mah Tov preschool. It was at the Grand Bakery that the Korean-born artist first tasted hamantashen, and it was through his connections there and at Holy Land that he got his latest Jewish gig: painting murals at the preschool of Beth Jacob Congregation, the Orthodox synagogue in Oakland.

Lee’s colorful murals decorate the Grand Bakery and the Holy Land Restaurant, among other establishments like the Rolling Dunes, Jenny’s Café and the Leaning Tower of Pizza. Hungry shoppers on Grand and Lakeshore avenues in Oakland probably know who Peter Lee is without realizing it.

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