Since the start of the second Intifada, Jewish Americans have raised money for the Jewish state, attended solidarity rallies, and participated in missions to Israel in an effort to combat the decline in tourism.

But many American Jews have not realized that a basic act of solidarity can be done from the comfort of their own homes. Thanks to the Internet, it's possible to help the delicate economic situation in Israel simply by sitting at the computer and buying an Israeli product online.

Jewelry, of course, has long been a favorite souvenir of travelers to Israel. Following are just four of the countless talented Israeli artists who are struggling to make a living in these uncertain times.

The work of Ayala Bar, arguably Israel's most popular jewelry designer, has been described as "neo-classical" or "Art Deco meets the Mideast." But as the wildly creative designer says, "I'm not clear on any definition."

Born 45 years ago near Tel Aviv, Bar has been a designer her entire life. She began her career as a theater props designer and window dresser. Nearly 20 years ago, she turned to creating jewelry inspired by "anything and everything."

"It can be just about anything," she says, "from scrap metal to fabric—even the dry leaves on my lawn. I've always made an effort not to define this issue. Let's just say that it is all purely intuitive."

The popularity of her designs—bold, colorful, and often employing a mosaic technique with beads and crystals—has been a boon to Bar, and not just financially. As a well-known artist, she understands that she has a unique "opportunity to represent another aspect of Israel to the world; a positive one, a creative one. Most people's ideas about Israel were conceived by the mass media, which primarily focuses on the problematic and intense reality of this region. In a way, I'm a cultural ambassador."

The married mother of three notes that "being an Israeli has never been easy. The intensity and the level of stress associated with living here are indeed enormous. I'd imagine that the grim reality of constant terrorist attacks in Israel has an effect on me, just as much as it has on anyone else here. So does the fact that a long-lasting conflict with our Arab neighbors has not yet been resolved. It's sad, and I try not to fall into the obvious trap of pessimism."

"It is meaningful for every Jew to purchase any Israeli work or product," she says. "I do my best to do that myself. While so many funds are needed for security, we're now in urgent need of economic growth. I feel flattered by the fact that many American Jews carry my jewelry. This is something that I'll never take for granted."

Bar's work is available at www.ajp.com.

Two decades ago, as a young wife and mother of two, Jerusalem-based copper artist Sarah Tamir began designing gold and sterling silver jewelry. "For me, it was prosperity," she says.

Twenty-four years later—and now the mother of fourTamir's jewelry business continues to provide for her and her family, although the current political climate has made artistry a less than prosperous business. "Because of the situation, there is not enough money to buy a special piece of jewelry," Tamir says. "Tourists are not coming to Israel. Now, most of my orders are coming from outside of Israel."

Still, she says, "All of the women that I meet are excited about my work." Indeed, the filigreed jewelry draws romantics to Tamir's earrings, pins, and necklaces. Her unique work has tinges of Iranian designs—Tamir, who was born in Iran, moved to Israel at age 10—as well as Chinese influences, which she learned from her master teacher, a Russian man who was trained in China.

"My work is a little modern and a little antique—sometimes combined, sometimes separate. I use a lot of special stones; women tend to like the stones that I use and the flowers, the leaves, that I design."

Tamir's work is available at www.israelvisit.com or at www.sarahjudaica.com.

As a child in Ethiopia, Riki Mullu spent endless hours watching her father, a blacksmith, shape metals into farm tools and decorative jewelry. "In Ethiopia, most of the Jewish people did handicrafts to make a living," she says. "As Jewish people, they couldn't own land. My mother was a midwife and a pottery-maker. They never wanted their kids to learn what they did for a living. But always I watched my father, and I always loved it."

It came as no surprise, then, that Mullu eventually took up the art of jewelry-making and Judaica design. "I love crafts," she says. "I love art. It's in my soul. My work is very funky; it reflects both my Ethiopian life and growing up in Israel."

In 1978, at the age of 12, Mullu arrived alone in Israel. After graduating from boarding school, she worked many jobs in the Jewish community. One of those jobs was aiding young Ethiopian emigres from 1984's Operation Moses, many of whom also arrived in the Jewish state without their families.

Six years ago, she moved to New York, where she decided "that I didn't want to work for anyone." She began designing her signature bold, bright jewelry—with its Ethiopian silver, bronze, and rich array of beads—and colorful Judaica items such as brilliantly colored, hand-embroidered talitot.

She currently splits her time between the Upper West Side of Manhattan and Jerusalem, where her parents, eight siblings, and 45 nieces and nephews live. "It's very hard for me," Mullu says. "When my family was in Ethiopia, I worried about them always. They moved to Israel and I said, 'My God, they're free Jews; no more problems, I don't have to worry about them every day.' But now I do."

Mullu's sister and two other Ethiopian women, all of whom live in Jerusalem, assist her with her work. "The economy is so bad," she says. "Right now, everyone is losing jobs in Israel. I worry that maybe I'll have to support my family as well. If I can make more money, it's great for my family too."

Mullu's work is available through Artistic Judaic Promotions at www.ajp.com.

A Holocaust survivor from Gyor, Hungary, sculptor and jewelry designer Shoshanna Bar-On made aliyah in 1949 and settled in the Galilee. Her daughter, Nurit, was born two years later.

Their relationship extends beyond the blood ties between a mother and daughter. For more than 30 years, the two have worked side by side, designing unique works of art with a distinctly natural feel. "We are self-taught artists who have developed our own individualistic style," they say, in written response to questions. "We complement one another and believe we have successfully synergized to create unique sculptures and pieces of jewelry which we believe to be works of art."

Although the pair is now based in Tel Aviv, their hearts remain in the Galilee. "We continue to draw the bulk of our inspiration from the roaring sea, the flourishing vegetation of the rolling hills, and the howling winds, which were a constant part of our daily lives for over 20 years in the Galilee," they say. "We strive to give expression to this movement in nature in our work."

"It is said that the muses are silenced by the roar of the guns," they say. "Notwithstanding the upheavals of the last two years, our muses have continued to give us inspiration." The designers are currently involved in a theme-park project that "will include miniature replicas of the well-known holy places and various other sites in Israel, all populated with thousands of figurines designed and created by us."

In response to the crisis in Israel, the Bar-Ons have created beautiful gold and silver pins in the shape of a dove, a sign of peace, "which we hope will bring the peace we all long for."

The Bar-Ons' sculptures and peace pins are available at www.rotem.net.

Lisa Keys is a staff writer for The Forward in New York City.

	Here are some other Israeli women artists in different media whose work is available online: SHEVA CHAYA - http://shevachaya.com Ketubot, invitations, and benchers featuring joyful and colorful art. LAURA COWAN - www.lauracowan.com/ Exciting Judaica, including mezzuzot, candlesticks, and Chanukiot. STACY GIVON - www.stacygivon.co.il/ Sophisticated jewelry designs in gold, silver, or a combination of both. BRACHA GUY - www.cjrent.com/bracha_guy1.htm Bold, colorful paintings and prints, many featuring women subjects. DGANIT HEN - www.dganit-design.com Intriguing silver jewelry using semi-precious stones and gold accents. ANAT MAYER - www.anatmayer.com Imaginative Judaica to dress up holiday tables. TAMAR MESSER - www.tamarsgallery.co.il Striking and fresh silk-screen prints, ketubot, and illustrated books. REBECCA SHORE - www.rebeccashore.com/newart.htm Charming children's art, frames, ketubot, and prints. SARI SRULOVITCH - http://artofisrael.com/pagesNF/artNF.asp?artist=2102 Extraordinary contemporary Judaica. EVA STRAUSS - www.hamsa.com/index.html Magnificent pendants and brooches.