ROCKETS INTO ROSES

In the small Israeli town of Yated , just a few kilometers from Gaza , metal sculptor, blacksmith, and part time computer teacher Yaron Bob, literally turns rockets into roses. Mr. Bob fashions theses roses out of pieces of Qassam rockets that have been fired from Gaza at the residents of Israel .

In the Summer of 2005, Israeli citizens from 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four in the West Bank were moved from their homes in an attempt to secure peace with the Palestinians. Families were uprooted, synagogues were abandoned, schools and businesses were closed forever; all in the hope of peace.

Instead of peace, thousands of rockets were deliberately fired on the residents of the Israeli town of Sderot and surrounding communities, from Gaza . It was in response to those rocket attacks that Mr. Bob thought to make the rockets into roses, turning the very threat into beauty and in the spirit of Isaiah, “turning their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks.”

Each rose can take up to four hours to sculpt, and is made from actual rocket remains collected from nearby police stations of Sderot and Ofakim. The police themselves enthusiastically support Mr. Bob’s special work.

Each rose is welded onto a metal base shaped as a map of Israel . The stem grows out of the very spot in Israel where most of the Qassams landed. A plaque mounted on the base records the month and year that particular rocket landed.

These rose are presently being sold in North America. Portions of the proceeds are helping to build Shelters in the city of Ashkelon. Anyone who purchases a rose will have their name placed on a plaque mounted on a shelter in Israel.

"It's people from abroad, who have the rose in their home, that makes me happy. This is my contribution to Israel ," says, Mr. Bob.

Mr. Bob’s roses have been presented to and acquired by emissaries from around the world including; Sen John Kerry, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN General Secretary Ban Ki Moon and the actress, Mia Farrow, just to name a few.

There's a website: www.rocketsintoroses.com