But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.                

                                                                                                              Psalm 52:8

As Christians the olive tree stands for the steadfast love of God, for the people of Palestine it has symbolized abundance, steadfastness, and rootedness to the land.  The olive branch stands for our longing for the end of the chaos and for peace. 

But, the olive tree is also one of the causalities of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  In the last 5 years alone, over 500,000 of them have been uprooted and destroyed by the Israeli military to make way for settlements, Israeli-only by-pass roads and the ever-growing segregation wall.  Therefore the olive tree carries the hopes and fears of the people of Palestine.

The artisans of the al-Kahf (the Cave) Arts & Crafts Center, a program of the International Center of Bethlehem, have created meaningful new silver jewelry to highlight the important symbol of the olive tree to our people.  Olive leaves are collected and placed in a small ‘wax tree’ in our workshop.  The artisans coat the leaves in gypsum and then heat the gypsum molds in a furnace.  The actual leaf is burnt out in the process, but it leaves behind a perfect cast.  Through centrifugal force, melted silver is then propelled into the mold cast.  When cooled slightly, the gypsum is broken away, revealing a beautiful silver copy of each individual leaf.  Each hand-crafted olive leaf is a ‘one-of-a-kind’ creation.

At ICB’s recent international conference all participants were presented an olive leaf necklace as a remembrance of the conference.  But more importantly, as they left Bethlehem, they could wear the beautiful leaf, holding a part of Palestine close to their hearts.

Olive leaf necklaces and earrings can be purchased with a special gift card from the al-Kahf Gift Shop.