A Face. A Memory. A Day

An artistic commemorative initiative which transforms memories from the lives of fallen IDF soldiers and those who lost their lives in terrorist attacks into animation films.

The “A Face. A Memory. A Day” project offers a chance to learn about the memories, personal moments and longing that the families and friends of the fallen have shared, and which in collaboration with them have been turned into short, animated films.

Following the events of October 7 and amid the difficult war that still continues, there is little question that there are now many more stories to be told. Nevertheless, the importance of remembering the victims of all Israeli wars, military operations and hostilities, is clear and relevant this year more than ever.

On this page there are 45 short animated films that mark a moment in life of the fallen. We invite you to watch, share and remember together.

The films are free to screen and broadcast at your Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism) gatherings, as well as at other times.

We hope that this project offers at least a little comfort.

Commemorative films

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Heaven and Earth

Remainder

The Gates of Heaven

The Music of His Life

All About Honey

This Moment

Connections

Lost and Found

Lior

If only you were beside me

Opposite the Sea

Rebound

Gail

Guni

Chessed

The Last Conversation

Fragments of a dream

Stories from the box

Silent Water

Shaved

Dad's kite

Free imagination

Maktub

Chilling Prophecy

Uri

Yom Kippur is Cancelled

The Gates of Heaven

The Fieldmarshal

Aliyah

A Distant Wave

Shimalla

Every Summer

Childhood Memory

Night Watch

Paper Boats

Strings

Danny and the Cobbler

A Thousand Kisses

Umbilical Cord

Birthday

Ken Dror

Searching For Them

A Wall in Her Heart

Elik of the Sea

When My Sister Grew Wings

Heaven and Earth

Challenges were one of Raanan Komemi’s hobbies, already in childhood. When he grew up, it was only natural that he would fall in love with extreme sports and in particular – off-road motorcycle riding. Rani was always cheerful and would assist anyone in need who he happened to meet. And the world smiled on him. The clip presents a human moment in the day-to-day life of Jerusalem. READ MORE

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Remainder

The clip tells the moving story of Amnon, a “Netser Aharon” – a Holocaust survivor whose entire family was killed. With his last reserves of strength, he made aliyah to the Land of Israel. Here, in the fields of the kibbutz, he fell in love with Sara, a sabra, but their dream of building a new family was cut short by the fighting in the War of Independence. READ MORE

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The Gates of Heaven

Ori Ansbacher was a girl of nature. On many occasions she would find herself a green spot and connect to the serene atmosphere. In these moments she would listen to music, write poems, as she wrote: “to walk barefoot, exposed / to let the stones prick / to touch.” READ MORE

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The Music of His Life

Tzachi was a gifted musician. One Friday Tzachi’s mother tried to call him, he did not answer, she left him a recorded message with “Latet”, one of Tzachi’s favorite songs. After his death, his family received his cellphone, they found that the song was recorded exactly at the moment of his death. READ MORE

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All About Honey

Ehud and Chagai Gordon, non-identical twins, with an identical fate. They had a mutual love for bees.
With the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War – Ehud and Chagai were called up to the same unit, in the same military area in Sinai, and were killed 13 days apart. READ MORE

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This Moment

Noam loved celebrating life and loved to think about life. He loved to cook and expressed his love of giving through cooking. Wherever he went, he carried books, filled with numerous notes. On one note, found after his death, Noam wrote: “meaning of life? I hope to find it, and when I do – I hope to live it before I die.” READ MORE

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Connections

Mira Ben Ari immigrated to Israel from Berlin with the idea of the Jewish people's revival burning in her bones and occupying her every thought. She set out with a group of friends to establish Kibbutz Nitzanim during the pre-State years – times of raging war. READ MORE

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Lost and Found

Yuval Harel was killed in the First Lebanon War, one day after his namesake and neighbor, Yuval Harel, also fell in battle. The tragic story of the IDF's representatives' confusion over the identity of two Harel families in Jerusalem is well known. READ MORE

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Lior

Lior, son of Tzafira and Natan Yonatan, was a child of nature, attached to the earth, the Kinneret, and to animals and landscapes from an early age. As a child he would spend days outside with his friends. He would gather mushrooms, run after butterflies, encounter animals and be amazed at everything. READ MORE

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If only you were beside me

Moshe Yitzchak (Yitzchakle) Tuval grew up in Bnei Brak and studied in a Talmud Torah and a yeshiva. Yitzchak had a strong affinity for the world of holiness, yet also enjoyed aspects of life considered secular in the ultra-Orthodox world – such as playing soccer, listening to Arik Einstein songs, and more. READ MORE

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Opposite the Sea

The expression that best describes Amit is "silent waters penetrate deep." Amit discovered a new world in a diving course, and fell in love. The water, the quiet, the calm, the nature – it all came together. And the sea returned that love to him. READ MORE

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Rebound

Basketball always played an important role in the Rosenfeld family. Their love for the game was shared by all the siblings, “cementing” family relationships. Thirteen years later, on his way home from a basketball game, Malachi was gunned down in a terrorist attack. READ MORE

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Gail

Gail was an American-born Israeli nature photographer. Having documented the horrors of the Yom Kippur war as a press and war photographer, she chose thereafter to focus her lens on photographing Israeli nature. She was photographing rare birds near the beachfront when a group of terrorists came ashore, saw Gail, and murdered her. Gail’s camera was found alongside her, containing her final shots. READ MORE

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Guni

Jerusalem-born Guni was both independent and precocious. He loved hiking through Israel, devised many challenges for himself and for others, dreamed of being a brave soldier, and lived to realize all this and more. READ MORE

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Chessed

It’s the evening before Nava’s wedding. Everyone is busy, helping with last-minute preparations and joining the growing excitement. Nava and her father David go out to buy coffee for all the many helpers, but never return home. READ MORE

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The Last Conversation

Shortly before entering the Gaza Strip, Daniel penned a farewell letter to his family, and then telephoned them. His mother, the former head of the IDF’s casualties branch, recorded the message, with an ominous and bitter sense of doom. READ MORE

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Fragments of a dream

As Richard stood among the crowd listening to Martin Luther King's moving speech, Richard decided to dedicate his life to creating a better world and working for human rights. Richard liked to travel from place to place on public transport. He loved looking at strangers, talking, daydreaming. He continued working on creating a better world, until the bitter moment when he was murdered in a shooting attack on a bus in Jerusalem. READ MORE

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Stories from the box

Liran was a curious and kind boy who loved nature and animals. One day his father found a little tortoise in the field, picked it up excitedly and ran to give it to Liran. The father was convinced Liran would be happy to raise the tortoise, but his response was surprising. READ MORE

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Silent Water

Karen was a thorough and dedicated airborne machinist. When off-duty, Keren trained with the swimming team. That’s where she first met Na'ama, a high school student.” Despite the age gap, the two became friends. Na'ama soon discovered that Keren was not only determined and industrious, but also playful full of humor, and the friendship between them grew stronger with each training session. READ MORE

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Shaved

The film depicts the significant family moment when Erez, an avid surfer, must cut his hair as he prepares to go into the army. The parting moments from his mane of hair reverberate after his death. READ MORE

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Dad's kite

Amir Zohar was first and foremost a devoted family man. Amir, Orly and their three children loved traveling around the country, and they especially liked flying kites together. One time they met an abandoned dog at the beach. She fell in love with them at once and did not let go since then. READ MORE

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Free imagination

Dima and Ana immigrated with their family from Russia to Kibbutz Gesher in Israel. Inside their meager, simple room they created an exciting and moving world of imagination. the realm of the imagination remained deeply rooted in their hearts, but it took on an additional meaning in Ana's life after Dima was killed during Operation Protective Edge. READ MORE

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Maktub

Yossi was extremely friendly and witty. When he was younger, he converted his bedroom into a living room to host his many friends. Long before the advent of Facebook, Yossi had created the first Wall: his friends would leave a note on his “bedroom” wall. His friendliness continued during his army service, even during the toughest times. In the field, in pouring rain, in his army tent, Yossi would sing to raise everyone’s spirits. When asked, just a few days before he was killed, whether he was afraid, he answered: “Whatever is written is Maktub" READ MORE

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Chilling Prophecy

"Dad, I have to go. That's how you raised me, isn’t it?". Nimrod Segev, who fell in the Second Lebanon War, knew the only way he was coming back was in a coffin, yet he still chose to return to the battle field. READ MORE

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Uri

Uri is a kid whose life is filled with dreams. He makes sure to show up in kindergarten every day dressed as a cowboy, outfitted with all the accessories a young sheriff needs. His imagination and creativity accompanied him throughout his life and up until his challenging army service, be it in a tank or at a checkpoint, where he would whip out his conjured figures to encourage passersby. READ MORE

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Yom Kippur is Cancelled

The film portrays Sherry Ansky’s last memory of her brother Reuven before he went off to war. On Yom Kippur of 1973, Sherry Ansky ate the salad her brother dreamt of eating. A memory of a brother who will never return and a thinly cut vegetable salad, with lots of garlic and lemon. READ MORE

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The Gates of Heaven

The film follows Rachel’s journey, Yuval’s mother, from the bright days before her son died to the dark days after the officers knocked on her door, and until she made peace with the Sea of Galilee, where Yuval died. READ MORE

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The Fieldmarshal

A moving and poignant animation short film about the irrepressible figure of Fieldmarshal Archibald Lomumba, conjured up by the late Uri Grossman. The film leaves the viewer with a bitter smile mingled with tears, and poses questions about dreams and wars, loss and longing. Viewers watch David Grossman interviewing his son Uri who takes on the personality of the Fieldmarshal, responding to the “journalist’s” candid questions. The film introduces viewers to Uri’s creative world, shattered when he was killed during the Second Lebanon War, exactly 10 years ago (August 12, 2006). READ MORE

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Aliyah

Max travelled to Israel with his brother on a Birthright program – though he was not very enthralled with the idea at the time. This changed after he paid a visit to Mt. Herzl. It was then that he decided to make Aliyah and serve in the IDF. The People of Israel returned this love when hundreds of Israelis accompanied Max on his final journey – to his resting place at the Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem. READ MORE

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A Distant Wave

Benjamin, an amateur radio operator and father to little Didi, teaches her the mysteries of the machine, and guides her how to receive distant signals. When Benjamin sets sail with the INS Dakar submarine from England to Israel, he uses the radio to maintain contact with his family. With the submarine’s disappearance, the radio goes mute, too; Didi is left with only the expectation to have her father return. READ MORE

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Shimalla

For as long as they can remember, Tiroayent and her family dreamed of making Aliyah. However, when her family was finally able to move to Israel, Tiroayent was forced to remain in Ethiopia with her children. After a prolonged campaign, her family received the exciting news that she, too, would be joining them. Her family was torn apart once again after Tiroayent was murdered in a terrorist attack, less than a year after she made Aliyah. READ MORE

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Every Summer

This story was not written for a particular person, but in fact could have been written about many fathers to many sons and daughters in this country. READ MORE

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Childhood Memory

"Aren’t you going to work today?”, I asked father. "Not today. I'm going to the army, to do my military reserve service. I'll be back on Thursday.” Yitzhak (Izu) Natanzon never came back. His last conversation with his three years old son was turned into an animated film. READ MORE

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Night Watch

The film depicts the unique encounter between Arie Aloni and Ehud Banai that lasted just one evening, but left a lasting impression. This is a universal story charged with infinite additional meanings when we discover the context in which it occurs. READ MORE

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Paper Boats

The film depicts the circumstances of Ezra’s death, from the perspective of a child who understands for the first time that “Father went to war.” The story takes place in a surreal atmosphere, a type of fantasy or dream in which a child imagines a character from the newspaper comes to life. READ MORE

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Strings

The film portrays Yaron’s first jam session with two friends. The chemistry of that first session seemed promising. They even planned to meet again and jam the next time they all came home from the army. The next day Yaron, z”l, was killed in the double terrorist attack in Beit Lid. READ MORE

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Danny and the Cobbler

The film depicts the unique friendship that developed between Danny, when he was in kindergarten, and a lonely and sad cobbler. The friendship remained a secret until Danny’s death, when the cobbler came to pay his condolences to Danny’s mother and told her of their friendship over the years. READ MORE

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A Thousand Kisses

The film describes a romantic moment between Michal Zohar, z”l, and her boyfriend Eitan. Eitan asks for one thousand kisses as his birthday present. Michal, wishing to surprise him, prepares a box for him with one thousand sweet plastic kisses. On her way home from her army base, she is killed and isn’t able to give him her gift. READ MORE

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Umbilical Cord

The film presents the close bond between the twin brothers Eitan and Benny Nachman – a relationship that began in the womb and was severed in one horrible moment. READ MORE

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Birthday

Shlomi is Shachar’s (z”l) younger brother. They were born on exactly the same day, eleven years apart. Every birthday, their mother would prepare two identical birthday cakes, until Shachar’s sudden death. READ MORE

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Ken Dror

Yehuda, a tall, strong, young man, plays happily and much to his friend’s surprise with lizards and other small creatures. His love of nature and animals continues during his army service; at times, it appears to those around him that he lives in his own world. All this changes during the battle at the Mitla Pass, when his platoon faces immediate danger, and Yehuda finds himself in an impossible situation. READ MORE

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Searching For Them

In the heart of Jabalia, during the fighting, two Golani soldiers — brothers Eliraz and Elyasaf— meet up. They embrace each other with tremendous relief, a hug which embodies sweet childhood memories and the longing for their older brother, Uriel, who was killed several years earlier during a battle in Lebanon. The family embrace, in this surrealist setting, will thereafter be soldered into Elyasaf’s soul; it gains chilling significance after Eliraz is killed shortly following this encounter READ MORE

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A Wall in Her Heart

The film portrays a magical moment in the budding relationship between Yuval Heiman and Revaya Cherlow. The young couple, who were very much in love, had their own place, that was just “theirs” — on the walls of Jerusalem overlooking the Old City. Sitting there together, dreaming of the home they hoped to create in the near future, they would contemplate the figures who lived here throughout past generations. READ MORE

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Elik of the Sea

“Elik was born of the sea,” writes author Moshe Shamir, about his younger brother Eliyahu (Elik) Shamir after he was killed. Born in Tel-Aviv, Elik was drawn to the sea and spent many long hours on the beach, hours which shaped who he was to become. The film recalls a memory and offers hope. READ MORE

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When My Sister Grew Wings

Gil, a young boy, struggles to fall asleep. Each night, he goes into the room of his older sister, Tali; together they are swept away — to a world of color, painting, and imagination, until he finally falls asleep. The film sensitively portrays their special moments. READ MORE

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