Gifts from Women In Zones Of Conflict
Amber Chand

Dear Friends:

During this gift-giving season, I would like to invite you to join with me in supporting talented craftswomen in Israel and Palestine who have created The Jerusalem Candle of Hope and chosen to send a message of hope over despair, healing over hatred, and peace across fragile borders.

Last year, I traveled to Israel and the West Bank with a small group of American businesswomen. The Jerusalem Candle of Hope - this lovely gentle illumination for the hope for peace - was birthed from a potent vision to bring together women on either side of a conflict through a process of respectful
enterprise.

Our journey led us to the hillsides of Nazareth in Israel, where we discovered a well-known family-owned
candle-making facility that employs impoverished Russian immigrant Jewish women living in the outlying neighborhoods. We were told that without consistent orders for the candles, many of these women would remain unemployed. When we met with the women and asked how they felt about this collaborative peace-building project, they responded without hesitation: "we do not mind because orders for the candles means food on our table, a roof over our head, clothes for our children". They went on to speak of the Jerusalem Candle of Hope as a "practical way to support cooperation" and an important means to earn a dignified livelihood.

On the other side of the checkpoint, in the West Bank, we came to the home of a Palestinian master embroiderer living in the heart of Bethlehem. From stacks of embroidered designs she kept in thick photo albums in her bedroom, we designed a small, exquisitely embroidered fabric bag to hold a tea light that would illuminate the candle.

We were told that the sale of just 10 of these small, embroidered bags would support a family of four for one day. And that, because of these orders, more than 15 embroiderers would be able to support their families in the community. One has already made enough money to buy a wheelchair; another is able to serve chicken regularly to her family; and another is able to pay for transportation to go to university.

Since the craftswomen could not physically meet each other, we sought the support of *The Parents Circle: A Families Forum* who helped us bring together all of these complex elements. This wonderful organization of over 500 bereaved Israeli and Palestinians, all of whom have lost a family member in the conflict, seeks to serve as an important bridge towards peace and reconciliation in the region.

Five percent of every purchase of the Jerusalem Candle of Hope goes to support their work.

As you turn your thoughts to meaningful gifts this holiday season, please consider The Jerusalem Candle of Hope as one of your choices, knowing that it sends a ripple of hope to families who are deeply affected by conflict in their region and furthers the cause of peace, through women's hands.

You can order by clicking on http://www.amberchand.com/

In a spirit of enduring peace,
Amber