Majdal Shams dedicates memorial park honoring 12 children killed in rocket attack

A memorial ceremony was held in Majdal Shams to commemorate the 12 children, aged 10 to 16, who were killed by a rocket fired from Lebanon two years ago. The event also marked the dedication of a new memorial park designed to blend remembrance with life.

The rocket attack left 34 others wounded, with a nearby collapsed stone wall credited with saving additional lives. The impact site subsequently became a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to express solidarity with the bereaved families and the Druze community.

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When I accepted the task of designing the environmental installation, I knew that the impact crater where the rocket struck would occupy only a small area, while a much larger memorial park planned by others would surround it. As I began working, I established the principles that would guide me: to preserve the crater and, through it, convey in a restrained, clear and empathetic way the moment of impact and its force. Ultimately, all that remained after the malicious rocket, which cut short the lives of children at the very beginning of their lives, was a small hole in the ground.

Initiated by the local council head, the memorial park surrounds the original impact site. It features a soccer field and an amphitheater for commemorative events. Architect Zvika Pasternak, known for his work on other memorial projects, consulted closely with the local community and bereaved families.

Pasternak described his design philosophy, stating, "I established the principles that would guide me: to preserve the crater and, through it, convey in a restrained, clear and empathetic way the moment of impact and its force." The crater itself is the park's central feature, with all paths converging on it, ensuring its existence is acknowledged by everyone who visits.

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That is the installation's central concept. If all roads lead to the crater, and every element of the park faces it, then anyone walking along them has no choice but to acknowledge the crater's existence, even though it does not rise above ground level.