EL AL | Atmosphere

#KitesForFreedom

“A teddy bear for each hostage” is an initiative instigated by EL AL flight attendant Hadar Harik (29). “We believe all the hostages in Gaza are alive, and the idea of a teddy bear waiting for them at home, symbolizes the hope for their release. The project began with me choosing a knitted teddy bear figure, writing knitting instructions for it, and publishing them in various knitting groups on social media. Hundreds of knitters throughout the country contributed to the project, and we ended up with more than 240 teddy bears, all knitted according to the same instructions, but in different colors and styles. It was amazing to see the project develop”, says Harik. She collected all the teddy bears from different points around the Kites for Freedom is a global viral initiative on social media calling for the immediate release of all the hostages in Gaza. This project was inspired by the annual kite festival that took place every Sukkot in the fields of Kibbutz Kfar Aza. The event, full of hope for peace and brotherhood, was supposed to take place on October 7th which became the darkest Saturday of the State of Israel since the Holocaust. The initiator of the Kite event, Aviv Kotz, his wife Livnat and their 3 children - Rotem, Yonatan and Yiftah were all murdered hugging each other in their bed. May they rest in peace. Would you like to be ambassadors for the hostages in Gaza? Take a picture of yourself with a A teddy bear for each hostage

country and organized a display of them waiting for the hostages in what has become known as “Hostage Square” in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. “I met the sister of Romy Leshem Gonen, currently a hostage in Gaza, and was happy to hear from her that the project gives her and the families a feeling of optimism”. With the return of some of the hostages, Harik contacted one of the doctors who greet them upon arrival, and managed to deliver the teddy bears to the cars waiting to take them on their way from the helicopter to the hospital. “The project started as my idea”, says Harik, “but the whole thing really took shape thanks to the many knitters who joined the initiative, and together we were able to reach kite or with our kite photo and dedicate the post to one of the October 7 th hostages. Share on your social media and tag our hashtag #kitesforfreedom Take pictures here on the plane or in other interesting places and spread this initiative to the whole world!

Join us and we will all be ambassadors for the hostages in Gaza! The #KitesForFreedom team

kitesforfreedom.wixsite.com/kff2 kitesforfreedom

Kites For Freedom @kitesforfreedom

our goal. The teddy bears are a representation of us all, as we wait for the release of all the hostages and their return home”.

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JANUARY 2024 ATMOSPHERE