This week, our shinshinim Ronnie and Sahar led a "Kalaniyot of Hope" activity, helping students learn about the breathtaking beauty of Israel's kalaniyot (anemone flowers) blossom and pay tribute to the memory of Ofir Liebstein.

The kalaniyot bloom all over Israel each February, transforming the regions of the Negev into a mesmerizing tapestry of scarlet red blossoms. 

In 2007, Ofir Liebstein, a member of Kfar Aza, together with few other members started a festival of Darom Adom (loosely translated as the red of the south). This exact area in the south often showed up on interactive maps as adom/red because red is the color associated with heavy rocket barrages in Israel. Ofir’s vision was to change the red association of this area and attract Israelis and tourists to revel in the beautiful blossoms.

Ofir was one of the many people killed on October 7th, 2023, in Kfar Aza.

This year, the Darom Adom festival events are canceled. So we decided to bring some of the Darom Adom beauty here to CJDS. Our shinshinim taught our students, from JK to Grade 8, about the beauty of the kalaniyot bloom and the significance of the region. Morah Nitzan integrated games with Hebrew vocabulary related to blooming, flowers, and Israel. Each student then created their own kalanit to contribute to our Kalaniyot of Hope display.  

The students' flowers are showcased throughout the first floor hallway, creating a field of red reminiscent of the landscapes found in Israel during this time of year. We hope this display - פורחים מחדש, porchim michadash, blossoming again- signifies the blossoming of all of our hopes and dreams for the people and the land of Israel.

To learn more about our project, visit this link. We will also be sharing updates on our project through Instagram under the handle @mykalaniyot. 

Shoshana Damari sings kalaniyot song

Walk in honor of Ofir