Mother-of-pearl carving in Bethlehem Mother-of-pearl carving in Bethlehem Mother-of-Pearl carving, a traditional handicraft in Bethlehem, is said to have been brought to the city by Franciscan friars from Italy in the 15th century. Bethlehem's position as an important Christian city has for centuries attracted a constant stream of pilgrims. This generated much local work and income, also for women, including making mother-of-pearl souvenirs. According to Weir, Bethlehem women's employment in the mother-of-pearl industry goes back at least to the seventeenth century. It was noted by Richard Pococke, who travelled there in 1727. Previously, most of the oysters for the mother-of-pearl supply came from the
Daniel Pearl through music. Pearl was born in Princeton, New Jersey to Ruth and Judea Pearl. His mother is of Iraqi-Jewish descent and his father is an Israeli of Polish-Jewish descent. His family moved to the Encino district of Los Angeles, when his father took a position with UCLA. His father, Judea Pearl, is a professor of computer science and statistics, and director of the Cognitive Systems Laboratory at UCLA. He has received the Turing Award. The history of the family and its connections to Israel are described by Judea Pearl in the "LA Times" article, "Roots in the Holy Land". Pearl