This week, Yad Yitzhak Ben-Zvi opened an exhibition in Jerusalem called "Brothers. Creators. Life," in which works by artists inspired by stories of bereaved brothers are displayed.
The exhibition was born as an initiative of the "Our Brothers" organization, which was founded by two bereaved brothers, Eliasaf Peretz and Noy Perry, after they felt that there was not enough voice in the Israeli public for bereaved brothers.
For the purpose of the exhibition, 16 artists met with 16 bereaved brothers.
Each artist listened to the personal story of the brother or sister, and as a result the works for the exhibition were created.
"This is not an exhibition that commemorates the dead brothers, but it talks about what it means to be a brother, or a bereaved brother," says the curator of the exhibition, Basmat Hazan.
"This is an exhibition of presence, not commemoration. Each of the artists set out on a journey, a creative process, creating a unique, original and new work that echoes the story of the bereaved brothers. The exhibition traces the connection between the bereaved brothers and the killed brothers,
According to Hazan, "Among the works created are songs written, saxophone work, video art. Artist Noa Kellner created comics following the story of Amit Kamil, who lost a brother killed in battle, and a second brother who committed suicide a few years later. Another example is the work of Adiel Ariel, designer "Costumes and scenery, created by Sigalit Hazan-Naim, whose brother Rafi was killed in the Lebanon war a few months after his wedding. .
Hazan says that in conversations with the brothers, the word "transparent" was repeated.
"They talked about their bereavement being transparent," she says.
"And that they had to take responsibility for the family. At seven the siblings are told 'take care of the parents', and in fact no one is watching over them. Many of them were forced to take roles within the family when the parents collapsed.
"Another thing they all had in common was the longing, and the feeling that it was not too late. It didn't matter if it happened 50 years or five months ago. The excitement and crying were there throughout the story, as if it happened yesterday. What I wanted was to present for a moment the brothers' transparent grief. "Within material, form and movement. As soon as the artist listens to them and produces something in the material world - it gives them a certain comfort. Suddenly they feel that the artist is a bit of a partner in their story."
Work by the artist Yael Ilan, based on the story of the bereaved brother Guy Bar-Shai,
Violet Gavison lost her brother, Sergeant Joseph Kahlon, in the Yom Kippur War.
She met the artist Moshe Waldman, a musician and poet who lives in the north of the Dead Sea, and the result of the meeting is a collection of songs displayed in the exhibition.
"Yossi was my older brother," she says.
"I admired him. He loved everyone. He coached teenagers. Everyone appreciated him. The connection between us was special. He shared with me the experiences he had in service in Sinai.
"Moshe listened intently to the stories I told about my brother, family and mother. He was moved to tears. There was good energy and connection from the beginning. He collected significant points from the stories, and wrote and composed songs that were so moving and accurate."
Moshe Waldman says that "this project is very unique and ingenious for me. I went through a healing journey of the soul, liberation and growth. Thank you for the privilege that has fallen to me."
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