Category Archives: Intriguing Products

Yad Vashem Memorial Pin

Posted on by
The Yad Vashem Memorial Pin

One of my most treasured purchases in Israel is this Yad Vashem Memorial Pin because it has so many deep meanings and memories.

Yad Vashem is Israel’s official memorial to all who died in the Holocaust. The Jews who died are remembered as are the Gentiles who helped them in the fight against Nazi Germany.

The blurb inside the packaging says “The barbed wire stem recalls the pain and trauma of the Holocaust, while the leaves stemming from the wire symbolize the rebirth and hope that emerged in the wake of this unparalleled tragedy. Wearing this pin expresses your commitment to remembering the past in order to ensure a better future for our children.”

I’ve worn a pin like this several times. I should say I’ve worn and broken pins like this one. Now I keep it safely in the packaging. The pin is made of soft pewter and is fragile.

Even the easy breakage of the pin adds to the meaning for me as I listen to the chaos and hate circling our world today. So many people behave as though they only see the barb wire and ignore the leaves. For me, as a Christian, I see Jesus in the leaves. He is my hope.

NOTE: This was on my heart today when I set up a different blog, so I changed the subject. I will be blogging about how we felt when we visited Yad Vashem in January.

Not Sure What to Post

Posted on by

I’m really not sure what to post this week because it is the fifth Friday of the month. When I started this blog, I had a solid plan for four Fridays in a month.

First, one of the stories that holds a special place in my heart from my trips to Israel. Second, a fun story about food. Third, how things are going with my writing, especially about my book(s) about the birth of Jesus called Jesus Gets Hand-Me-Downs. And fourth, a special item for sale in Israel. But I wasn’t sure about the fifth Friday and I’m still not.

One suggestion is to do a give-away box of some of the interesting items from Israel, but I don’t have that possibility put together, largely due to cost. Another idea is to create some of my short stories, framed and suitable for hanging.

I’m still working on other ideas so I’m open to suggestions. Please send me your ideas and I’ll come up with a special gift for the originator of any I use.

Following the Word

Posted on by

One of the many things that touched my heart both when I purchased it in Israel and in the time that has passed since my trips to Israel is a silver hand pointing the way on the end of a short silver rod.

My daughter and I were shopping in a tiny, little shop in the Old City (Jerusalem) called The Silver Pointer. Esther is the wonderful lady who owns the shop.

I didn’t know why anyone would want something like this “hand.” Esther explained that the Word of God is too sacred to be touched by human hands. Therefore, a hand on a rod like this one was used to follow along the page, Word by Word, when reading the Bible. This is especially important so the reader does not lose his place when reading out loud.

To someone who writes and draws in her Bible, it seems strange to say not to touch the Word of God, yet I find it comforting to keep it on my desk where I read and study the Bible.

It is a constant reminder of a gift God gave us so we could get to know him better and better each day.

Impressions of Israel – A Symbol of Interest

Posted on by
Grafted In Symbol

During one tour, we peeked through a locked grate to see a little bit of the catacombs below Jerusalem. A few hard-to-see symbols were on the wall.

When we asked why this entrance was locked, we were told there were a lot of symbols in this portion of the catacombs. Neither the Catholic Church (which owns a lot of property in Jerusalem) or the Jewish authorities wanted to see these symbols.

This “Grafted In” symbol dates back to the first century A.D.

Romans 11:17 says “If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root,”

The top of the symbol is the menorah used in the Jewish Temple representing the Torah, the Light of Judaism.

The middle is the Star of David, representing the Messiah (Yeshua). Yeshua is the son of David who will rule over the Kingdom of David.

On the bottom is the fish (ICHTHUS) recognizing the followers of Christ (the Christians).

Note the base of the menorah and the tail of the fish join to form the Star of David. This means Yeshua (Jesus) grafted his followers into the faith and promises God gave to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.

I wear this pendant most of the time as a reminder to myself that everything God promised to His followers is also promised to me.

There are many, many places in the United States where this can be purchased. The one I know the best is Jerusalem of God in Greeley, Colorado.