Faith pays off: Man believes in prophecy, makes multimillion-dollar discovery
The idea that the Land of Israel conceals secret treasures would not surprise anyone who is familiar with the Bible. Yet, it took the endless faith of a visionary man to unearth some of those treasures, which nobody in modern times knew existed: precious gemstones that today are available to faithful people and Israel-lovers all over the world thanks to that man and his children, who are proudly continuing his work at HolyGems.
When King David addresses the people of Israel about the plan to build a Holy Temple – a plan that God tasks his son Shlomo to execute – he highlights his efforts to collect all the valuable materials necessary for the project.
“I have spared no effort to lay up for the House of my God gold for golden objects, silver for silver, copper for copper, iron for iron, wood for wooden, onyx-stone and inlay-stone, stone of antimony and variegated colors—every kind of precious stone and much marble,” reads the second verse of II Chronicles 29.
While the Bible mentions gemstones in multiple verses and books, for centuries nobody had found evidence that such stones could be found in the Land of Israel. Yet, in 1988, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the rebbe of the Hasidic group Chabad Lubavitch, suggested that those gems were there, hidden deep in the area of the city of Haifa.
“The uniqueness of Haifa are, that it has a sea, and it has a valley – and in the valley are precious stones and gems,” he told Haifa’s Mayor Arye Gurel at the time. “The Holy One, Blessed Be He, did a wondrous thing; he concealed them in the depths of the earth, and in any case, in the depth of the plowed field…”.
After hearing about the Rebbe’s words, Abraham “Avi” Taub, a follower of the Rebbe, decided that he would find those gems.
His father, Chanan Taub was a Holocaust survivor who had pioneered the diamond industry in Israel by establishing one of the first diamond polishing factories in the country. In 1999, Avi followed his steps and established a new company – Shefa in Israel G.M. Ltd – for the exploration, research, and development of gemstones mines in Northern Israel.
“Despite the skepticism, and by the power of faith, millions of dollars were invested over the last 23 years on the exploration for these rare gems,” Tali Shalem-Taub, the CEO of HolyGems and Avi’s daughter, recently recalled during a conference organized by the Jerusalem Post.
Some 15 years later, a new unique type of stone found only in Israel was discovered in the area of Mount Carmel. The stone, named Carmeltazite or Carmel-Sapphire, was officially recognized by the International Mineralogical Association.
“When I think of precious stones in Israel, my thoughts go straight to the Temple and the vestments of the High Priest,” Avi commented at the time. “No one thought we would find stones here in Israel but the Temple and the Kohanic vestments required many precious stones. Nowhere does the Bible say that these stones were brought from outside. It was clear the stones from the Temple were from here.”
In March 2020, just a few months after Avi Taub’s sudden death, the State of Israel issued a Discovery Certificate confirming that an economic deposit of precious gems was found in the areas for which Shefa holds the license.
Indeed, Avi’s faith in God and the Torah, as well as in the Rebbe’s guidance, has led his family company to develop what today is a multimillion business, selling unique jewelry carrying the gemstones mined in the Holy Land: blue and green sapphires, burgundy and red garnets, black spinel stones, and the most precious stone of all, the Carmel Sapphire.
After Avi’s death, his mission has been taken over by his children, who make sure to continue his dream of uncovering the treasures of the Land of Israel described in the Bible.
All stones are exclusively sold inlaid in unique pieces of jewelry with certificates that attest their origin.
“The depth of the Holy Land yields not only milk and honey and gas, but also precious gems, rare, but with an unparalleled uniqueness and variety,” Shalem-Taub remarked. “The miraculous story of their discovery, their mesmerizing beauty, their extreme rarity and their sacred origin make these gems the most desirable of all.”
This article was written in cooperation with HolyGems.
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