Flower Man- Ariel Sosnov, z''l
The Fallen Soldier's Flowers that Keep on Lighting
This picture broke a million already-broken hearts when it was published in Israel one month ago.
Atara Sinton really couldn’t be a a sweeter soul. She is an 18-year-old Israeli who, I realized only weeks after I first saw this photo, is the daughter of a woman I know, a family who made aliyah from the US many years ago. Could her parents have imagined that aliyah would mean this— their daughter lying by the grave of her recently deceased boyfriend, a fallen soldier?
You can listen to the depth and softness of Atara’s words in this interview*, and below you can read how she continues to touch hearts, flower by flower.
(* The captions are computer generated and not always accurate, but they give you a pretty good sense)
Atara has taken her pain and chosen to pass on the love she received from her boyfriend, Ariel Sasnov, z’’l, who never missed sending her flowers for Shabbat, even when on the front lines.
Atara now stands outside of Jerusalem’s Central Bus Station week after week, giving bouquets of flowers to soldiers on their way home for Shabbat and asking that they in turn give them to someone they love.
Here is a post I saw from a mother whose son brought these flowers home. I do not know who wrote it— I copied and it and saved it without a name— but I wanted to share this on this final day of Hanukkah as much like the power of a candle’s flame— that can keep lighting and lighting without losing its own light, Ariel’s flowers keep touching hearts— keeping his light going even as he has left this world.
One week ago Friday
My son returned from the army
With a stunning bouquet of flowers
And a tear-jerking story.
He arrived from the base for Shabbat
And passed through Jerusalem’s central station
Where he received a bouquet of flowers
That was distributed at the station
By the girlfriend of the late Ariel Sosnov, in his memory
And on the bouquet is a picture of the two of them together
With a bouquet of flowers.
Ariel fell in war
On the 5th of Marcheshvan.
On Shabbat evening
I light candles
And sit and look at the bouquet of flowers
That sit on the Shabbat table
And I think of Ariel
Who left behind
A huge void
And an instance pain
For his family, his girlfriend, his friends
For the entire people of Israel.
And, with providence
He left, also
A bouquet of flowers in his memory at my house.
I say Tehillim for the elevation of his soul
And pray to Hashem
To redeem us from this madness
From carrying the opposites of light and darkness
Of the beauty of flowers
And the pain of loss.
The woman who wrote the above continued:
“This story does not end here.
I managed to find her - Atara
We had a moving conversation.
She asked me to help her,
to expand her project
Distributing soldiers returning home–
A bouquet of flowers for Shabbat.
Here is the message she sent me about the project
And her request that we all donate to her project to commemorate Ariel.”
Here is a link anyone can use 👇
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ariel-sosnov-and-his-acts-of-kindness
Here are links to donate in Israel:
Link to Bit (donation of 50 NIS)👇
https://www.bitpay.co.il/app/share-info...
Link to Paybox any amount👇
https://payboxapp.page.link/Y1hEWXfpr8muYm7q7