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Chanukah jewelry makes for "nuclear
program" with unquestioned peaceful intent.

Thru 11/30/13

Edmon J. Rodman I JNS.org

Active Play

W

bile at the U.N. General
Assembly and other public
forums, Iran continues
to tout what it calls the peaceful inten-
tions of its nuclear program to a skepti-
cal audience. But the peaceful intentions
of another "nuclear program"— one that
will come in handy for Jewish shoppers
this Chanukah — are unquestioned.
Using the words of the prophets as
inspiration, a company called From
War into Peace is turning swords into
ploughshares — actually, recycled mate-
rial from nukes into Jewish jewelry —
in California.
The line of peace-oriented products
that includes flower power earrings,
peace symbol pendants, tree of life
bracelets and household accessories
is made from recycled copper cabling
that once carried the launch codes to
Minuteman III nuclear missiles.
The copper, taken from a disarmed
and deactivated Intercontinental Ballistic
Missile (ICBM) site in Grand Forks,
N.D., is cast by the company into an
array of wearable and usable symbols
from many religions, including Star of
David earrings, hamsa pendants and
mezuzahs. In time for Chanukah, a new
menorah pendant design is available.
"The Jewish prophets are the absolute
inspiration for what we do:' said the
organization's founder, Paul Ogren, a for-
mer Minnesota state senator who lived
in Israel in the 1970s.
The truncated Bible verse, "Turn your
swords into ploughshares, and you shall
know war no more from both Isaiah
and Micah, is featured prominently on
the website of the company, which was
launched in 2010.
"The cabling is a good source of cop-
pee said Ogren, who first found out
about the metal from a friend who had
the scrap contract from the federal gov-
ernment for the silo's metal and plastic.
Ogren said he bought 10,000 pounds
of copper, but initially was not sure what
he would do with it.
"I'm always looking for a transforma-
tional element," said Ogren.
"Weapons that kill people can be used
for constructive means:' said Ogren, a
peace activist during the Vietnam War.
After discovering that copper needed
to be alloyed to be cast successfully as
jewelry, Ogren decided on a mixture that
included manganese and silicon to cre-
ate a "Peace Bronze which is cast into

15-40%

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plagenobil

A menorah necklace by From War into
Peace, which uses recycled material
from nukes for Jewish jewelry

various shapes in Albuquerque, N.M,
and Paso Robles, Calif. Various styles
are given an iridescent finish in San Luis
Obispo, Calif., or dipped in silver or gold
in Albuquerque.
One of the mezuzah designs is cast
with the words "Peace to all who enter
here:' Other styles feature the word
"peace" in three languages — Hebrew,
English and Arabic — or an image of a
dove.
"There is a naive quality to them, like
American folk art," said Nestor Diaz de
Villegas, who owns one of the mezuzahs
as well as a pendant.
Ogren said 24 percent of the com-
pany's profits are dedicated to peace and
social justice organizations, with current
recipients including Veterans for Peace,
Homeboy Industries and Mothers for
Peace.
Seeing a benefit in injecting "humor
and lightness" into the messages of his
work, Ogren also creates beer bottle
openers that say, "Beers Not Bombs:'
and wine bottle stoppers that say, "Make
Wine Not War:' out of the Peace Bronze.
Just how hot is Ogren's nuke-related
jewelry? The cabling was buried 6 feet
underground, has been tested and is not
radioactive.
"I get asked, `Will I glow in the dark if
I wear your jewelry?"' Ogren said.
"I would have to charge you more,"
he said he often responds.

Schleich0

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November 14 • 2013

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