Drishat Shalom

Drishat Shalom (Sticking Together): Bringing Memory to Life Join us in our mission to go beyond memorializing Israel's fallen heroes, to integrating their legacies and unique character traits into our lives. As October 7 approaches, marking two years since that woeful day that shook our entire country and the Jewish People worldwide, we invite you to partner with us to expand the reach of this meaningful project. The Project The brutal invasion into Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023, and the ensuing Iron Sword War caused a tidal wave of unprecedented loss and mourning – as well as, perhaps surprisingly, a growing number of inspiring grassroots initiatives. One such initiative is the phenomenon of memorial stickers that include a photo of a fallen soldier alongside their mantra or favorite saying. These stickers are plastered across the country – as bumper stickers on cars, in people's homes and in public spaces such as at bus stops, on poles, in restrooms – the list goes on. Sayings like, "There's nothing better than to be better," and "The place where I am needed is the place I will be." These stickers bring the memory and legacies of the fallen to our consciousness. Our team at Hilma created an interactive digital platform called Drishat Shalom – Sticking Together to foster a living and evolving connection to our fallen heroes through learning about those individuals and taking on positive actions that perpetuate their legacies. The platform features hundreds of stickers for users to peruse and choose from. After selecting a sticker that "speaks to” the user, they are invited to describe a good deed they commit to doing as inspired by the hero on the sticker. Users learn about the fallen individuals by accessing memorial pages that bereaved families add to the platform. Beyond undertaking to perform a good deed, users are also able to write messages of comfort and support to the families. In the words of one of the bereaved mothers, the platform: "allow(s) my son's deeds to continue echoing in the world. You (the platform users) give us so much strength through this." Launched on Israel’s Memorial Day earlier this year, the platform recorded activity by 81,415 users in a single day during the project’s pilot phase which was available in Hebrew only. We need your help to make our vision a reality for Jewish communities around the globe: With your help, we will translate the website and make it accessible for English speakers. You will play an integral role in helping us expand the reach of this meaningful initiative around the world. Please partner with us so that we can reach our goal & build the English site in time for the the National Day of Mourning, marking October 7. Together we can ensure that the legacies of our fallen heroes live on through our daily actions.