Israel's National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers

It's been some time since I first visited Israel's National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. It's a beautiful building and definitely something that I want to share here on my blog, but I have a personal connection to it too. My youngest son is memorialised there. And that makes it hard to write about.
Regular readers will remember that we lost our son in May 2022. He was 19 years old. We are still trying to get to the bottom of what happened to him the night he died, and the war in Israel has not helped the situation. I am writing this post because I want everyone to remember Gadi. Showing you his brick at the memorial is just one way to remember him.

Israel's National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers is located on Mount Herzl, where Israel's national military cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities are situated. It is a memorial for all servicepeople - from the army, police, Shin Bet security agency, Mossad spy agency and prison service - who gave their lives establishing and defending the State of Israel, and includes not only those killed in action, but also anybody who died in uniform. Planning and building the site took more than 10 years. Construction on the memorial began in March 2015 and the hall was finally opened to the public on the eve of Israel's Memorial Day, Yom HaZikaron, in April 2017. It is the first memorial in Israel that commemorates the memory of all Israel's fallen soldiers in one site. There are hundreds of other monuments for individuals or particular battles or military corps scattered across the country, many of which I have written about previously. 

Gadi Isaacs

19th January 2003-21st May 2022

The exterior of the hall, which is set alongside a busy street in Jerusalem, echoes the topography of the surrounding mountain landscape, while inside a tall torch-like formation of bricks, symbolizing an eternal flame, opens the hall to the sky, flooding the void with natural light. At the entrance, a video installation by Israeli artist Michal Rovner juxtaposes groups of soldiers from various periods in the history of Israel's wars, moving and running on one shared landscape before fading away.

More than 24,000 bricks wrap around the hall's walls, forming a 250-metre long "Wall of Names". Each brick is individually engraved in the same font and size with the name of a fallen soldier and the date the soldier died. Neither rank nor mention of the place or circumstance in which the soldier perished is listed. The bricks are no higher than about six feet from the floor, so that family members can reach up and touch the name. A lightbulb adjacent to each engraved brick is lit on the anniversary of the soldier's death, as per the Jewish tradition to light a candle so that the memory of lost loved one still lives on and burns bright. Every morning a memorial service is held in order to honour those who fell on that specific Hebrew date, and near the hall's upper exit, twelve pillars with screens display the pictures and more information about the men and women who died on that day.

The "Wall of Names" begins with the most recent fatality, and at the top of the spiral is a brick with the name of the Jewish guard who was killed in Jerusalem in May 1873 as part of a dispute with the Palestinians over water in the years before Israel became a state. The names - which sadly now also include two of Gadi's closest friends, Ariel and Yakir, who both fell in Gaza - are inscribed in local stone.

Visitors are led through the memorial, from the external entrance court, past the Ner Tamid (eternal flame) and a flag pole with the Israeli flag, through the main spiral ramp and ending at an upper exit, from which one can continue into the military cemetery. A computerized system enables visitors to access information, pictures, and summarized biographies of the dead via touch screens. Towards the end of the journey through the hall, visitors are invited to light a virtual candle in memory of a particular soldier.

Israel's National Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers was included on the list of finalists for the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects' 2018 international prize for world's best new building. The memorial was designed and constructed by Kimmel Eshkolot Architects, a Tel Aviv based Israeli architecture firm.

Finally, a happy update regarding the hostages. After 477 days in captivity Na'ama Levy, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa and Liri Albag returned to Israel yesterday as part of a ceasefire deal with Hamas. Last week Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher were released. No words can describe the relief. But the price Israel has had to pay for their release is painfully high - amongst the prisoners released are mass murderers. 

But to Na'ama, Karina, Daniella and Liri - welcome home!

90 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Bring them home now!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and My Corner of the World.

Melissa & Yonatan

Yonatan's mum really liked the birthday card I made for Hila and wrote to me to ask if I could make something for her son and his fiancée, Melissa. The couple met on 23rd December 2023. Yonatan's mum thought it would be nice to gift them a piece of my art to mark the date, something about the beginning of their journey together.

She sent me the photo of Melissa and Yonatan, above, taken when they first met. I recreated it carefully, adding all the tiny details which makes the picture special. She also asked me to add the following line in Hebrew:

מצאתי את שאהבה נפשי (Song of Songs 3:1-4), which translates as "I have found the one whom my soul loves".

My customer was delighted with the piece, which she framed herself. "They all loved it!" she said.

Yonatan wrote me a lovely message as well.

"Hi Lisa. We just received a fantastic gift made by you, and we are stunned at how beautiful and detailed it is. Thank you so much for your part in it ❤".

Melissa and Yonatan got married yesterday. I wish them a big Mazal Tov (congratulations) and many happy years together.

* This post has been shared on Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About, Wednesdays in the Studio and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Ilana

Ilana celebrated her 50th birthday in November. She is quite a regular customer of mine and so it seems that her family and friends who have received my cards over the years wanted to return the compliment when it came to her birthday. 

Her daughter contacted me and asked if I could make her mum a card. As it happened, one of Ilana's friends had already beaten her to it, but her daughter didn't mind. I assured her that the cards would be different! She told me that her mum likes cooking. She loves butterflies and tulips. And she is a teacher.

I showed redheaded Ilana holding a big bunch of pink tulips. Some butterflies are fluttering past her. I added a little blackboard with the words "Back to School" on it, and an exercise book and pencils to represent her teaching career. A cooking pot and wooden spoon illustrate Ilana's love of cooking. A big yellow number 50 marks her age.

Ilana's friend asked me to make her a birthday card too. She requested a water bottle, and some vegetables, since Ilana loves to cook. She told me that Ilana teaches English and also loves to read.

I showed Ilana with the water bottle in her right hand. She is pointing to a blackboard with the words "50 Today!" on it with her left hand. Next to her are some vegetables and a small pile of books.

Ilana was delighted with her cards and kindly messaged me on the day of her birthday:

Thank you for my cards

I was soooo lucky to get two 

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Love them

* This post has been shared on Wednesdays in the Studio, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

A New Door Sign

My eldest son and his girlfriend needed a door sign for their student apartment. I decided to create a papercut sign for them, with their names, in Hebrew, in the centre. Of course I added my signature little bird as well.

I hand drew my design, which is made up of foliage and seed heads, then scanned the image and flipped it, before printing it on a piece of Textura Recycled Bright White Card.

I am sharing photos of the piece as I cut it and as their names emerged from the card.

Hila, my son's girlfriend, likes natural colours and seems to favour a pallet of cream and beige, so I backed the piece with a dark beige backing paper. It is mounted in a 13x18cm lightweight picture frame, which could easily be stuck to their front door.

Nadav and Hila were delighted with their new sign. They have since told me that every person who has seen it has complimented them on it!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.