The following article was published last year in City Lights, an Israeli monthly guide. The writer is Elaana Shap. The article was forwarded to us by David Israel, husband of Judith Majew Israel (Lei)
Names: Judith and David Israel
Ages: Judith 60, David 75
Claim to Fame: Owners of Danlux Israel Ltd., producers Vehehi Or candles which are manufactured in their Or Akiva factory.
Five years ago: Judith running her own kindergarten; David retired and volunteering with his friend, the late Simcha Holtzberg in helping handicapped soldiers.
Five years time: To have nationwide distribution of their candles in Israel and to export abroad.
Philosophy: Judith: I continue to continue to derive joy and pleasure from watching the wonderful creation of the universe. Lets protect the environment. It's so fragile and we are destroying it so fast that we won't realize it until it's gone.
David: Yiddishkeit, decency and peace on
earth.
What makes a 75 year old pensioner come out of a good number of years of retirement and go back into business? A love of candles that only the Danish could have and the desire to see them more widely used here, answers David Israel who made aliya in the early 80's and six months ago started the Danlux Israel candle factory in Or Akiva with his wife Judith.
"There is a great candle lighting culture in Denmark. The weather is cold and dark six to eight months a year and people want to create a warm bright atmosphere at home. They don't go out to eat as much as the Israelis do and when they sit down for lunch or dinner it's never without candles. Even at breakfast, candles are lit sometimes. Market research shows that Danes use 4.2 kg of candles a year as compared with American consumption of 125 gr a year," says David.
IN Israel, candles have in the past mostly been used for religious purposes such as Shabbat and on Jewish holidays or on memorial days. David laments, but "as Israelis travel and see that many restaurants abroad always put a candle on the table and get more interested in decor and dinner parties, the demand for candles is growing."
What the Israeli public have to learn now is the difference between cheaply made and a quality candle. "It amazes me what some people use for Shabbat candles. They are so small and burn down so fast as if Shabbat lasts only an hour. And why buy an expensive hannukiya if you are going to use cheap candles," says David who is a collector of hannukiyot.
THE differing quality of candles is a serious issue for David who was the American sales manager for Danish candle manufacturer Danlux Denmark, before coming to Israel.
Veyehi Or candles, which are made in the "antique" way which includes a hand-dipping process. To make good candles only the best wax should be used with the lowest oil content, according to David this means wax which has the lowest percentage of soot emission. "These candles don't run and then extinguish themselves when they are at their end so you can safely put them in a crystal or wooden holder and be sure the container will not burn."
The color of the candle also indicates their high quality. In cheaply made candles, says Judith, the color is mainly concentrated on the top of the candle as they have merely been dipped in dyes. In candles manufactured by Danlux, the color is compatible with the wax and disperses into it. Colors range from solid blue, green, red, yellow, ivory, white and peach to "confetti" or stripes of mixed colors.
The forthcoming range of scented candles will also be made with scented oils specially formulated for use in candles. "Regular oil will not blend in. Some manufacturers doing it cheaply just dip the wick in the fragrance." The new collection of aromatic candles by Danlux will come in citrus, lavender and lily scents, as well as 5 percent citronella which is used to repel mosquitos.
A novel concept with citronella candles, which the Israelis have just started, is renting out these candles to catering companies. "Usually caterers or owners of garden function venues use hundreds of citronella candles. They burn them for a couple of hours during then event and then throw them away. We have started to rent out these candles to them and take them back after one function and recycle them" explains David.
THE Danlux Company is located in Or Akiva's industrial area and supplies 40 to 50 stores nationwide. The Israelis decided on the location because it is near their home in Caesarea and because they hope, as the factory grows to increase their staff of four and create jobs for many unemployed olim in Or Akiva. If a contract is signed with the prestigious Danish homeware company, Bodum, who have approached Danlux Israel to supply them with an order, then their intention will become a reality. "Lower labor costs in Israel compared to Europe make our prices competitive. Bodum has enquired about our factory doing three different shaped candles for them in three different colors. If we get the order we will have to expand our factory and employ more people. David is positive about the future of Danlux Israel and says that he enjoys what he is doing so much that he doesn't notice the pain from his arthritis. Judith who studied Near Eastern archaeology, is also fulfilling her interest in glass and pottery by locating containers for their candles. She uses Hebron glass from their friend Haamdi Natche in Hebron whom David has known since 1967 and ceramic jars from a supplier in Acre.
Towards the end of our conversation, David notices a patch of wax on his sleeve. "One hazard of working in a candle factory is that I always find dripped wax somewhere on my clothing," he says with a smile.
Expert advice on how to remove wax is to place a piece of kitchen towel on the wax spot and the iron over with a hot iron or wash in boiling water and the remove.
comments to Art Mayoff