Gaza Survivor Turns Trauma Into Art, Finds Closure After Home's Destruction
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Gaza survivor and ceramic artist Zohar Lev created an art project called 'Shards of Memory' using fragments from her home destroyed during the October 7th attack on Kibbutz Be'eri. After enduring a terrifying ordeal where terrorists attempted to breach her safe room and set her house on fire, Lev collected ceramic shards and photographs of the ruins. The recent demolition of her home's remains has provided her with a sense of closure, allowing her to move on from the trauma.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ceramic artist Zohar Lev created 'Shards of Memory' from fragments of her home destroyed on October 7th.
- Lev and her family survived a harrowing attack by terrorists in Kibbutz Be'eri.
- Terrorists repeatedly tried to enter their safe room and eventually set their house on fire.
- Lev collected ceramic shards and photographs from the burnt ruins as part of her art project.
- The recent demolition of her home's remnants has provided Lev with a sense of closure.
Ceramic artist Zohar Lev, who survived the October 7th massacre in Kibbutz Be'eri with her family, has transformed the fragments of her destroyed home into an art project titled 'Shards of Memory.' Lev and her family endured a harrowing ordeal on October 7th, with terrorists attempting to breach their safe room multiple times before setting their house ablaze. They were eventually rescued by soldiers as the home burned, escaping with their lives but losing their house.
After spending time in various temporary accommodations, Lev, now living in Kfar Saba, returned to the ruins of her home three months after the attack. She described the scene as "horrific, all burnt, sooty, no house at all," and felt immense shock and a sense of luck for their survival. She began collecting ceramic shards from her studio and home, the only items not destroyed by the fire, and with the help of friends, meticulously cleaned and photographed them.
These collected fragments and photographs of the peeling plaster walls became the basis for her art. Lev created vessels imprinted with the images she captured, embedding her memories of the kibbutz and the trauma into the artwork. Her most recent visit to the site in May saw the remnants of her home demolished as part of the kibbutz's rehabilitation process.
Lev stated that this demolition marked a turning point, allowing her to finally say goodbye to the destruction and ruin. "This chapter is over, the burnt house chapter. There is nothing more to return to the house and look for myself there. I no longer have a home in Be'eri," she explained, viewing it as a form of closure for both herself and her artistic project.
