Two Weeks of Growth, Blossoming, and Love in Shay’s Light

Two weeks.

Two especially intense weeks.
The week of Tu Bishvat, the holiday of planting and growth, followed by Valentine’s week, a week of love.

How symbolic that these two weeks came together in our lives.

It began almost on Tu Bishvat itself, at an honors ceremony at Na’amat High School, where students received their midyear report cards.

In the midst of pride and achievement, we planted a tree in the school garden in Shay’s memory. A young mulberry tree in the soil, small in size but immense in meaning. Growth מתוך pain. Continuity. A daily reminder that excellence and values go hand in hand, and that even something small planted with love can grow and bear fruit.

And Motaleh Spiegler, one of the greatest Israeli footballers of all time, in my eyes the greatest of them all, honored us and Shay with his presence.

In front of the students, Orli spoke in Shay’s name. In the name of the love we have for him. In the name of the deep longing we carry. She spoke about his values, about his way of living, about the choice to truly see the other.

Her words were not only remembrance. They were a request. They were a mission.