Ahead of the Purim holiday, Doria Freimark, a graphic design teacher at the Sha’alvim school, gave the girls a special task in the spirit of the holiday: to design a gift basket. Initially, the bag was meant to be designed according to the style of a famous artist. However, as the students began their work, Doria noticed a need for change.
“During the activity, I saw that the girls enjoyed the task but weren’t fully connecting with it. I decided that since we are a Jewish nation that has gone through a tough year, we needed to find a meaningful way to connect,” Doria said in an interview with Moment NEWS.
Doria chose a particularly moving route: each bag would be dedicated and designed according to the figure of a person who gave of themselves for the State. “Whether it’s a reservist who served many days, a survivor from the Nova event, or a soldier who fell in battle, I asked them to find a figure that would help them feel more connected to the mission.”
A Completely Different Task
“At first, the type of work felt like just another one of the assignments I always give,” Doria recounts, but with the change in the task, the girls’ approach completely shifted.
“The girls looked at the new task and said: ‘Wow, this is something completely different.’ Each of them chose a phrase representing a soldier who fell in battle and conveying a message of joy, and designed the bag accordingly; one girl chose to create a bag for the hostages. The work was done with incredible enthusiasm. We spent at least six hours at the computer on some of the tasks to prepare the exhibition on time, and in the end, we succeeded.”
A Crazy Excitement
After completing the project, a particularly moving event occurred: the works were published and shared on social media until they reached the parents of those soldiers. “Four bags have already reached the parents,” Doria shares. “In conversations with the parents, the excitement was overwhelming; tears were flowing. Some wanted the design to print for their own gift baskets, while others asked us to spread it as much as possible; the joy was immense.”
The girls were also excited to create a connection with the parents, which made them even more immersed in the task: “One girl, who prepared the bag in memory of Sergeant Tzur Avraham Z”L, made great efforts and ultimately managed to reach his parents. Another girl living in Modiin made sure the package would reach Ashdod.”
Giving Meaning to Words
“We, in the program, learn how to convey a message through design. How to give meaning to words. We tried to do the same this time, to imbue the significance conveyed by the phrase of that fallen soldier and illustrate it in the design of the bag.”
“It’s amazing to see how this small thing we’ve done at the school can have such an impact. We were so happy to discover that investing in these small details can bring so much joy to those who need it so much.”
