From tragedy to healing: ‘Orange Garden’ memorial planned for Bibas family

One image from Oct. 7, 2023, has become seared into Israel’s national consciousness: Israeli mother Shiri Bibas clutching her two sons – 4-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir – as Hamas terrorists surround them and take them into Gaza.

But another image of the Bibas family has also endured – one that captures something very different: a short clip of Ariel running down a wooded path in his Batman Purim costume.

The community of Migdal HaEmek, in cooperation with the nonprofit VeNata’ata ("you shall plant") and the Bibas family, is planning to build the “Orange Garden” as a memorial to the Bibas family and all the other children who lost their lives on Oct. 7, which will also serve as a therapeutic space for children in need of trauma care.

Ofri Bibas, Shiri’s sister-in-law, recently told Ynet that the plans she has been shown for the garden moved her to tears. They include fruit trees, a flowing stream, an ecological pool and play areas for families.

“Ariel would probably be running around,” she said, "going to the water, climbing trees and enjoying everything the garden has to offer.”

Speaking about the many memorials which have been built to commemorate Shiri and her children in Israel and around the world, she said, “Each one is moving and meaningful. But with the ‘Orange Garden,’ I connected immediately.”

She added that this garden reflects Shiri and her husband Yarden’s “shared love for open spaces [which] is what led them to live in a kibbutz and raise their children there, with outdoor play, getting dirty, connecting with nature and everything it brings to the body and soul.”

A memorial monument will be placed in the garden to honor all children killed in the Oct. 7 attack and the war that followed.

“For me, it’s the most natural and fitting way to commemorate them. I imagine what it would have been like to be there with them, and that’s why I joined this project.”

There are two kindergartens currently under construction in Migdal HaEmek, which will be named after Ariel and Kfir, and the 20 dunam “Orange Garden” will be built adjacent to them.

“We want to create a place that allows people to connect in a direct and multi-sensory way to the Bibas family and who they were,” said Doriel Rimmer, CEO of VeNata’ata. “Through that, people can also process the pain and difficulty we all experienced on October 7 and since, and move toward national healing. The ‘Orange Garden’ will be a place families can come to and feel that all of Israel is part of a story of repair. We are used to memorials made of stone and silence. Here we chose a different model, commemoration through life itself. The laughter of children is the strongest answer to loss.”

Migdal HaEmek Mayor Yaki Ben Haim added, “This is a national and meaningful project that seeks to transform deep pain into hope, growth, and life. Commemorating Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas through nature, community and connection to the land reflects the Israeli spirit at its best."