Peace & Prosperity Candle
The Peace & Prosperity Candle is a white luminary candle that expresses the hope for peace and prosperity by women in Israel and Palestine. The luminary made of natural beeswax is embedded with roses and olive leaves and never melts. The votive tea light that you light inside the luminary arrives in a lovely bag, embroidered with roses by Palestinian women living in Bethlehem. When lit, this candle becomes an enduring symbol of peace and prosperity.
Each beeswax luminary measures 5″x4. It comes either in a delicate Lily of the Valley Fragrance or Fragrance Free. Each candle arrives with one votive tea light in an embroidered bag. A story card will be included with your purchase.
The Story
Bringing women together across a conflict zone is at the heart of this initiative. Today, in fields around Nazareth, Israeli women gather red roses, olive leaves and delicate sprays of baby’s breath to create these natural beeswax luminary candles. Across the checkpoints, in a basement apartment in Bethlehem, Palestinian women come together to embroider red roses for peace on small bags which will protect the replaceable tea light on its journey to you.
In the summer of 2008, we invited The American Near East Refugee Aid organization (with offices in Jerusalem and Gaza) to send us a report about the impact of the Candle initiative on both the Palestinian and Israeli women. They reported that over 50 families are now being supported by this initiative, including several women with disabilities – women who would otherwise have no source of income and support. According to the report, “The current order came at a significant point in time for educational purposes…Women and young ladies would be able to spend [their earnings] to buy the necessary educational tools and books.”
In Israel, they reported, Russian Jewish immigrant women are offered steady employment by a well- respected, family-owned candlemaking facility. Here the women are paid well, offered health benefits and pension plans, and the opportunity to earn a meaningful livelihood.
Since 2004, when we first launched the Candle Initiative, 10,000 candles have been sold in the United States – giving the women a sense of dignity as they earn their livelihood, bring hope to their families, and the light of peace and prosperity to you.
