The family of the late Hallel Yaffa Ariel, the 13 year-old teen who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian terrorist while sleeping in her Kiryat Arba home on June 30, is launching a special project in her memory. The family, which recently placed a tombstone on her grave as is customary following the first month of mourning, said it would host a special cultural event in her memory on Monday. The event was to focus on Hallel's passion for the performing arts, with her friends dancing in her memory and family members recalling stories about her life and singing in her memory. Just before her death , she took part in a special ballet production in which she had a starring role. The family also plans to set up a visitor center in Kiryat Arba that would be called "Hallel's Vineyard." The center will provide organized tours of the local winery, the vineyards and of the town itself. "Hallel Yaffa loved the land; she loved working in winery," her mother Rina told Israel Hayom. "We though hard about the proper way to keep her memory alive. One idea involved building a visitor center where people would come and hear about the land, the people, the wine and the story of Hallel. This will cost money, and we invite everyone to take part in this project," she continued. The family appealed to the public and asked for 450,000 shekels ($118,201) through the online crowd-funding platform Headstart. They also uploaded a short video clip to YouTube explaining the importance of this endeavor. As of Sunday, about 40,000 shekels ($10,000) have been raised. "Her murder shocked us," Rina recalls. "It is every parent's worst nightmare. It threw us into a hole so big, I still can't believe such holes exist. It doesn't take much for someone to be devastated," she said. "We are trying to stay strong, and I think this project, getting to know the vineyards in this land, provides a new horizon that gives us the necessary strength to stay afloat," she said.
Hallel's father, Amichai, recalled the last conversation he had with his daughter. "We would occasionally sit three or four hours at a time; this was quality time," he said. "Four days before she was killed she told me: Dad, I am very happy. I am laughing. I am laughing without a reason."
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שיתוף כתבה
Family of slain girl says determined to keep her memory alive
Family of Hallel Yaffa Ariel, murdered by a terrorist a month ago, plans to build visitor center in Kiryat Arba in her memory • Donations pour in after crowdfunding campaign launched • Mother says: Her murder shocked us; it is the worst nightmare.