Odd Sets

Credit: Personal Collection

A close relative, on holiday in Safed, Israel, sent me these two pictures. Decorative chess sets of army X vs. army Y are common (French vs. English, Elves vs. Orcs, etc.) but I admit I never saw a Hassidim (white pieces) vs. Mitnagdim (black pieces) before, juxtaposing the two main groups of ultra-orthodox Jews. In the bottom picture, there is a more abstract set, which apparently is a green(ish) army of flowers doing battle against a white one. 

The pieces of both sets are made of wax, and even have wicks -- i.e., they are in fact candles. The reason is that they both sets are display pieces in a specialty candle factory -- Safed Candles. A Hebrew-language review of their store has many pictures that show the store's interior, complete with a Noah's ark made completely of wax.