Israel Imprinted

This piece fills the map of Israel with words of love, resilience, memory, and hope. The Israeli flag rises within the map, the hostage ribbon rests beside two red kalaniot and the word זיכרון — a reminder of those still missing and those we have lost. Across the map appear the words “שנהיה ראויים להם” — “May we be worthy of them” — together with the timeless declaration “להיות עם חופשי בארצנו” — “to be a free people in our land.” Interwoven are words of צה״ל, גבורה, אחדות, עם ישראל חי, and other expressions of hope, remembrance, independence, and life. Behind it, shades of blue and green evoke skies, seas, land, and vitality, with Israel imprinted upon it all like a living stamp.
 
For Eitan, who lives with the effects of brain injury and aphasia, this artwork gives voice to what words cannot always convey — what he, and what so many of us, feel about Eretz Yisrael, Admat Yisrael, and Am Yisrael. It is a work of achdut (unity), zikaron (remembrance), and gvurah (bravery) — calling us together in prayer, reminding us that we must be worthy, and that we are a living nation (Am Yisrael Chai). It urges us to honor those we’ve lost, to choose life, and to leave our own imprint on the eternal story of our people.