18
Megemeria
Celebrating The Genesis
Of A New Mitzvah
Isaac and Orna Levy, the husband and wife
team behind Yvel, have crossed the globe
many times over in search of the “next big
thing” in pearls and precious gem stones.
Yet one of the key aspects of their business
is rooted very close to home and very
deep in each of their hearts.
An immigrant workforce
A visit to the Yvel Design Center, just
outside of Jerusalem, provides a glimpse
not only into the specialized world of
jewelry-manufacturing, but also into the
diverse immigrant population of Israel.
Of the 100 employees that work in the
50,000-square-foot facility, more than
90% are Jewish immigrants. More than 20
different countries are represented in the
“Yvel Family” which is made up of gifted
artisans and ambitious professionals from
very diverse cultures and countries such
Russia, Syria, Iraq and the United States.
This is by no means an accident. From Yvel’s
inception, Isaac and Orna have made it a
point to employ mostly immigrants. While
Orna is native to Israel, Isaac immigrated
to the country (or made “Aliyah”) from
Argentina nearly 50 years ago. He keenly
understands the adversity faced by so
many in the attempt to adapt to a new
culture. His own family’s story provides
the perfect illustration. Upon arrival to
their new homeland, Isaac’s father – an
Argentinian entrepreneur – invested in a
sausage factory. But only months later, his