The Jerusalem Candle of Hope

Better To Light A Candle Than Curse the Darkness

This project was conceived in July 2004 when Amber Chand, together with a group of business women from The Business Council for Peace (a New York based non profit organization that Amber helped to found) arrived in Israel and the West Bank with the intention of designing a collaborative joint venture product that would engage Israeli and Palestinian women. The underlying vision was to create a peace building initiative that would support women's enterprise and economic security - vital elements to the stability and health of families, communities and the larger society.

Here is the story behind this remarkable initiative.

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 newly arrived Russian Jewish immigrant women living in the outlying neighborhoods. We were told that without consistent orders for 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, and clothes for our children" . They went on to speak of the Jerusalem Candle of Hope as a "practical way to support cooperation between people" 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 that 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 initial orders, more than 15 embroiderers would be able to support their families in the community. One had already made enough money to buy a wheelchair; another was able to serve chicken - a delicacy - to her family; and another was able to pay for transportation to go to university.

Since the craftswomen could not physically meet each other at this time, 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.

Our objective is to develop a sustainable and viable business with the Israeli candle makers and Palestinian embroiderers so that more talented women can participate in this remarkable peacebuilding intiative. One day, we hope that the women will be able to cross the borders and greet each other - in a spirit of their shared humanity.

(photos: courtesy of Willa Shalit)