Diamonds and Pearls

Melissa, Kiarra and myself with some of the amazing pieces from Megemeria.

I have a confession. It's Wednesday and I'm still hung over from Monday. Pretty incredible, considering I didn't have a drop of alcohol. What's been lingering with me this week, is not a pounding headache or bad case of the bubble guts (thankfully), but a very different sensation inside. It's an extended feeling of the warm and fuzzies after visiting what is one of the nicest places I've seen in Israel, Megemeria. This was my second visit there, and for the second time, I left with a renewed perspective and sense of purpose about the world around me. I'll explain.

Megemeria is a jewelry school for Ethiopian immigrants just outside of Jerusalem that is operated with the help of YEDID. It is the brainchild of Isaac and Orna Levy, founders of Yvel, an award-winning jewelry collection sold in 650 retailers worldwide. The students of Megemeria, most of whom lack formal education, are taught the craft of jewelry making and the art of jewelry design. While apprenticing, they receive a monthly stipend of 4000 shekels (about 1070 dollars) as compensation for their work. They are also guaranteed job placement upon graduation. Graduates apply the skills they've learned to various paid positions within the company, becoming self-sufficient, contributing members of the Israeli workforce.

On my last visit I went into the lab while students were working to observe them in the creative process. This time we didn't peek into the lab, but got an equally satisfying treat in the form of a visit from Isaac Levy himself. Isaac spoke personally about his struggles coming to Israel as an immigrant from Argentina decades ago. He echoed the same sentiments reinforced by immigrants everywhere - that the early years in a new and unknown country can get very lonely without some help. That is why it was so important for him to leave his mark on the immigrant community in Israel after Yvel became an internationally respected and thriving business.” I didn’t forget where I came from," he explained, before teaching us Americans a new phrase, Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world. In my view tikkun olam is the Jewish peoples' take on what we call paying it forward, and the Levy's are doing that and then some. It's always refreshing and inspiring when I come across people like the Levy's, who've experienced so much success and acclaim, but remain humble and connected to their roots. It's a rare thing to see nowadays.

I was especially excited this second time around as well because I brought some company, two of my fellow Americans living with me here in Israel who are also connected to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Melissa and Kiarra were such good sports giving up their Monday mornings to make the trip down to Megemeria and they really enjoyed themselves, which makes me so happy! In sharing the experience of Megemeria with others, I opened myself up to see something familiar in a different light. When you hear something for the first time, you tend to cling to the big picture facts. After the first time your mind makes space for the details, and that's what happened to me Monday. Somehow, in processing the various interesting aspects of Yvel as a company, I missed the first time around that pearls are the artistic centerpieces of their jewelry design. While they work with diamonds and an array of precious stones, pearls are the closest to Orna and Isaac Levy's hearts. I've been thinking about this over the past couple days, and I realize that it makes perfect sense. Complex environmental processes beneath the earth’s surface create nearly all gemstones. Pearls are different. Pearls are found inside living creatures, at the bottom of the water. While beautiful pearls can be made naturally, more often they are cultured, a process requiring human interaction. And here comes the really valuable metaphor: when you start from the bottom, it's possible, but extremely rare and difficult to realize your full potential without some help; without some human interaction to guide you along the way. Pearls are not simply unearthed, the way a gemstone might be. They have to be cultivated, cared for, and nurtured to attain their most powerful natural beauty. The Levy’s make some really beautiful jewelry, but that beauty pales in comparison to the beauty of new life that Yvel and YEDID give to the students at Megemeria. It is the students who are the true pearls, and I am really referring to them in the title of this post.