Best website to purchase holy land olivewood products?

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insideitall said:
I’m specifically looking for nativity sets, and the one I like best is here: jerusalem-gifts.com/products/Faceless_Olive_Wood_Nativity_Set-174-44.html

has anyone dealt with them before? if not, any recommendations for a similar set?

thanks 🙂
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I’m not sure, but I’ve had two companies/peddler types set up outside my parish and the prices were VERY expensive. That price for that manger set looks really reasonable. (If you know anyone going on pilgrimage to Bethlehem maybe ask them to pick one up). My parents did that for me, and the one they got me (about the same size as yours) was like $75.
 
LegoGE1947 said:
Might try EWTN Religious Catalogue on line through EWTN.com.
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Yes, I found a number of Olive Wood items, made in Israel on EWTN. They are mostly made in Bethlehem, and only fallen or trimmed branches are used, some from the Garden of Gethsemane, which also has an olive grove. Many of the trees are several hundred years old, and are not allowed to be cut down unless they die. The people in Bethlehem who make Olive Wood Rosaries and Nativity Sets have been doing it in certain families for hundreds of years, and I think most, if not all, are Christians, whose families have lived there since the time of Christ. They are not, and never were, Jewish, but became believers through the Apostles and have lived in the Holy Land for hundreds of generations. They do beautiful work, all hand carved, and EWTN Catalog carries a number of their carved items. Some are very expensive, but all are marked (underneath) with “Bethlehem Olive Wood”. Not sure if they mark the Rosaries, if so, they are probably on the back of the Crucifix. I had an Olive Wood Rosary from Bethlehem, given as a gift years ago. I gave it to a friend when she made her Perpetual Vows as a Franciscan Sister, as it was a 7 Decade Franciscan Rosary.
 
judynurse said:
Yes, I found a number of Olive Wood items, made in Israel on EWTN. They are mostly made in Bethlehem, and only fallen or trimmed branches are used, some from the Garden of Gethsemane, which also has an olive grove. Many of the trees are several hundred years old, and are not allowed to be cut down unless they die. The people in Bethlehem who make Olive Wood Rosaries and Nativity Sets have been doing it in certain families for hundreds of years, and I think most, if not all, are Christians, whose families have lived there since the time of Christ. They are not, and never were, Jewish, but became believers through the Apostles and have lived in the Holy Land for hundreds of generations. They do beautiful work, all hand carved, and EWTN Catalog carries a number of their carved items. Some are very expensive, but all are marked (underneath) with “Bethlehem Olive Wood”. Not sure if they mark the Rosaries, if so, they are probably on the back of the Crucifix. I had an Olive Wood Rosary from Bethlehem, given as a gift years ago. I gave it to a friend when she made her Perpetual Vows as a Franciscan Sister, as it was a 7 Decade Franciscan Rosary.
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Crosses and rosaries made from the olive wood are labelled “Bethlehem” or “Jerusalem” depending on where made.

(The two cities are side by side; there are factories both sides of the line.)

While the work is wonderful (I was told that olive-wood pilgrimage item manufacture was taught them by the Franciscans when they arrived around 1200!!!), it is not cheap even there. A Nativity piece small enough to hold in my hand cost US$10 in Bethlehem four years ago.

Good luck, Happy New Year, and ICXC NIKA.
 
GEddie said:
Crosses and rosaries made from the olive wood are labelled “Bethlehem” or “Jerusalem” depending on where made.

(The two cities are side by side; there are factories both sides of the line.)

While the work is wonderful (I was told that olive-wood pilgrimage item manufacture was taught them by the Franciscans when they arrived around 1200!!!), it is not cheap even there. A Nativity piece small enough to hold in my hand cost US$10 in Bethlehem four years ago.

Good luck, Happy New Year, and ICXC NIKA.
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The guy that came to my parish recently was selling a one piece nativity the size of a Christmas ornament for $50!!
 
arlettebythewall.com/products_nativity.htm

I have dealt with this family personally, a devout Catholic family who have lived in Bethlehem for many generations. They are financially struggling and would GREATLY appreciate the business.

They made us a baptism tunic for our son, blessed at the Church of the Nativity. The pattern embroidered on it was actually copied from ancient artwork on the floor of this church. They sent our son emails (he was seven at the time) with pictures of children of Bethlehem today, description of what life was like, and pictures of the fields where the Angels appeared to the Shepards. They prayed for him his godparents, and us… They were very, very, sweet.
 
thank you all for your responses.

it didn’t occur to me to check a regular christian/catholic online store. I checked a few: ewtn has a very limited olivewood selection (crosses and rosaries), and some of the others only have the super tiny nativity sets.

my old church used to have people come by, but they don’t have a website. my mom actually went to the holy land a few years ago but OF COURSE I wasn’t thinking about nativity scenes then… it wasn’t winter 😛

gwendolyn, thanks for the link. one of their sets appears to be the exact same one as in the link I posted. I will check that out some more!
 
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