Friday, January 29, 2010

Roses from Sderot

by Taylor Innes

During the past eight years, Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip have been bombarded by over 10,000 Kassam rockets fired by Hamas, leaving these border towns with only 15 seconds to find shelter. But Yaron Bob, a 38-year old local computer teacher and blacksmith from Moshav Yated, has decided to turn the constant battle against terror into a positive.


Yaron Bob began taking spent Kassam shells collected at the police station in Ofakim and, using his artistic talents, began shaping the scrap metal into the shape of beautiful roses. He heats the metal shrapnel until it glows bright orange and then hammers and fashions it on his anvil into lovely rose shapes.


His roses have suddenly become a message of hope that is impacting hearts throughout the world. Some have even been delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and US Sen. John Kerry.


“I had close encounters with two rockets that fell within 5 to 10 meters from me,” Bob recently told The Christian Edition. “I wanted to make something beautiful and good out of this disaster. I thought about what I could do and thought roses are beautiful. I will create roses out of the Kassam rockets as a new symbol of hope.”


During the recent Feast of Tabernacles celebration for Christians in Jerusalem, Bob reserved an exhibitor’s booth through the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem to see if there was any interest in his unique “product” – and indeed there was. One Feast pilgrim from California was thrilled to buy one of the roses.



“It represents great art. Not only is it artistically unique but it has redemptive value. Hopefully it is the beginning of us humans finally beginning to beat our swords into plowshares as the Bible tells us will eventually happen,” said David Schlosberg. “Everybody loses in war and so we must re-learn to follow the gospel of peace and take up swords no more. I commend the Jewish artist who made this piece of peace.”


“In the end of all our struggles, all the people in the world need to know the Jewish people are starving for peace. Everybody wants to live in peace, harmony and quiet. This is the bottom line,” Bob said.

This article was first published for the Jerusalem Post Christian Edition.

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