Lost and Found

In memory of Corporal Yuval Harel

Born in Holon, 9th of Tishrei, 5723 (October 7, 1962). Fell in Ein al-Hilweh, Lebanon, 17th of Sivan, 5742 (June 8, 1982)

When he was only four years old, Yuval Harel accompanied his father to a mall in Canada, where he got lost. In order for his father to find him, he showed an extraordinary amount of resourcefulness. The momentary loss in his childhood blends together with the experience of loss and bereavement in the Lebanese War.

Yuval was born in Holon to Miriam and Yehezkel. When he was two years old, he accompanied his family on shlihut to Canada, where he learned English fluently and of course Hebrew as well. In his childhood, he was discovered to be a gifted student. When his sister Ayelet was born, his father decided to teach Yuval to read, so that he would continue to feel special even after the birth of his little sister. Thus, Yuval learnt to read at the age of four and since then he never stopped reading. In his wallet, which was returned to the family after Yuval's passing, was a library card. His love of music also filled his world during his youth. 

Yuval was drafted into the army and served in the Armored Corps. When the Operation Peace for Galilee began, he was among the lead units that first reached the terrorist strongholds. On June 8, 1982, in the thick of battle in the alleys of Ein al-Hilweh, an enemy anti-tank missile made a direct hit on Yuval's tank. He was killed instantly. His fellow crew members were wounded but managed to get out of the burning tank. Yuval was 19 when he died. He left behind his parents and two sisters. 

Thoughts from the Dov Abramson Studio who produced the film
From the first moment of working on this film, we knew that we faced a unique challenge. The character of Yuval Harel is known to the Israeli public from the song “Alliance of Blood” and from the story—perhaps even the myth—that grew up around the news of his death. We knew that the family’s position on this matter is complex, to say the least. From conversations with Miriam, Yuval’s mother, we knew there was a need—almost a plea—to commemorate Yuval in a different way, to tell his story based on real life, not based on the song. It became clear that Miriam’s request was in line with the spirit of the project “A Face. A Memory. A Day”, which presents snippets from life and does not necessarily focus on loss and bereavement.
 

Yuval Harel Z'l

On the other hand, to create a “conventional” clip about Yuval without mentioning his place in the ethos of Israel memorialization—without talking about the elephant in the room—appeared to be insufficient and even a bit strange. So we chose not to ignore it. On the contrary, we identified an opportunity to “redeem” the story of Yuval’s death from the myth that had swallowed him up in order to say something: something about memory, about loss, about finding. 

These thoughts accompanied us in creating the clip. It tells a minor story from Yuval’s life. When Yuval was four, the Harel family was on shlihut in Canada. One day, Yuval got lost in a crowded mall. With great resourcefulness, little Yuval located the mall’s Lost and Found. He got on the loudspeaker system and called out to his father in Hebrew: “Dad, I’m in the Lost and Found.”

The story of the loudspeaker system became a metaphor for the story of the notification of his death by means of a bit of gentle intertwining of music and animation. The barely noticeable presence of the song “Alliance of Blood” searches for and finds a place in the mall story and thus the clip offers a look into Yuval’s life. But it also hints at the double tragedy of his death. We cannot claim to have gotten to know Yuval by way of the clip, but it seems that following his character in the clip we embarked on a journey to understand that slippery concept called “memory”.

From the press
Remembrance Day: Celebrating life - THE JERUSALEM POST 2.5.2019