When walking by the front lobby of the school, it’s hard to ignore the multicolored ceramic flowers on display. These are not ordinary flowers, but rather they represent the red anemones that bloom in the Gaza Strip.
Two weeks before the second anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, in which more than a thousand Israelis and Jews from all over the world were killed or captured, Hebrew teacher and Israeli Engagement Coordinator Anat Kaufman asked Upper School Ceramics Art Teacher Erin Holmes to make ceramic anemone flowers for the memorial table at the school entrance.
“The Gaza Strip is best known for the carpets of anemones that grow there each winter,” Kaufman said. “The red anemone flower symbolizes renewal and life, and it represents hope for a better future, despite the tragedy that happened there on Oct. 7, 2023.”
In Israel, volunteers around the world have helped to create a national display consisting of approximately 5,000 clay anemone flowers for an installation called “Anemones Before the Rain.” This display has inspired people around the world to create their own red clay flower installations.
In commemoration of the two years that have passed since the events of Oct. 7, a dozen JDS students in the Upper School Sculpting and Spirituality Zman Kodesh (ZK) class created a display of ceramic flowers that represent the red flowers where the Nova festival was held. In Holmes’ ZK, students express their spirituality and connection to Judaism through art, and the anemones are one example of these expressions through art.
The memorial is an important project for the JDS community because it provides not only a visual way for students to channel their support towards the return of the hostages but also to remember what happened on Oct. 7.
One member of Holmes’ ZK, freshman Liya Nuriely Kimel, found participating in the project to be very emotional, especially as an Israeli herself.
“I think it’ll remind them [JDS students] this happened really recently in history,” Kimel said. “And I think it’ll be a deeper reminder for people to look back on the event and remember those who had fallen to fight for the country, and those who just wanted to go to [a] Festival, and those who sat on the border, who lived on the border, and innocently got killed.”
Holmes was delighted to be a part of this project and asked her class of a dozen ZK students to create anemones like those made by people around the world for a memorial display in Israel. To Holmes, the request seemed like a great choice of project because of its purpose and the opportunity to infuse spirituality into their sculpture.
“It took us a couple of weeks,” Holmes said. “First, we had to learn how to create the [anemones], how to sculpt them, and what the best method of creating the flowers was.”
Holmes explained that as the class sought inspiration, they found a couple of different versions of anemones. They ended up creating anemones with a yellow interior because it incorporated the yellow ribbons of hope for bringing back the hostages.
Participating in the sculpting and painting of the flowers was a powerful experience for many students, and they are eager to share the work they have done on behalf of the hostages.
“I think it’s really meaningful,” Kimel said. “It should definitely be displayed in a place where it can be seen to commemorate all those who lost their friends and family, or for those who have fallen fighting in the war. So I think that [it] should be in a very visible site for even visitors when they come in.”
The yellow inside of the anemones was an adaptation that those who are familiar with the original display in Israel consider a very special addition.
“I believe the red anemones [the students] made are more beautiful than the ones in the memorial display in Israel,” Kaufman said.
