Eternal Memories: "We Wanted to Create a Lasting Legacy"

When Lea Marmorshtein-Yarchi received the Prime Minister and President's award for a commemorative proposal for President Yitzhak Navon, she did not expect that, seven years later, it would open the door to a special initiative that would accompany the people of Israel during the Iron Sword War.

"Not everyone knows," Lea says, "but once a year, on the first of Nisan, which is the New Year for kings, the State of Israel holds an annual memorial for presidents and prime ministers who have passed away. Every year, a call is made for a special original commemorative proposal for two selected figures of that year—a prime minister and a president. In that year, President Navon was chosen, and I thought of a unique commemorative idea. Since the president was very warm to people and caring for the citizens of the state, and also active in commemorating Ladino culture and the magnificent Spanish Jewry, I decided to create a font of letters, a special typeface, in his name.

"For this, I chose letters that were inscribed on the walls of 'Abulafia Synagogue', the ancient synagogue in Toledo, and turned them into a free font accessible to anyone interested. This proposal earned me an award, and personally, I felt how powerful it was to connect it to our history and the figures within it, especially when it comes to letters, as it is known that a person's handwriting carries life and soul."

Writing is Spirit

Seven years have passed since the "Yitzhak Navon" font was created, and Lea found herself in a very similar situation. As the war began, her friend Yael Mesika-Maimon contacted her and shared that her daughter lost a good friend named Niv Raviv, who was murdered in Kfar Aza along with her partner. Niv used to write a lot, leaving many notes to her friends with life tips. Her handwriting was very meaningful to her friends, and they wanted to try designing a computer font based on Niv's handwriting.

"Yael reached out to me to try and help her," Lea explains, "and the moment I heard about the request, I knew I would turn it into a big project. Within about an hour, I had already prepared branding and decided it would be a large and wide-ranging initiative to include many victims of the war. I then contacted many groups of graphic designers and font designers and inspired everyone. The name of the project – ‘Oth Chaim’ was suggested to us by Sigalit Lifshitz, a professional in cinema."

Lea pauses for a moment, mentioning more wonderful people on the management team: Shana Koppel, a Jerusalemite font designer; Atara Ozen, a graphic designer; Yael Mesika Maimon, an educator and artist; as well as two young Haredi men - Yossi Biton who built and maintains the website, and Moshe Chai. "All of us have been working very intensively for the past three months on the project, all on a volunteer basis," she emphasizes.  

How do you reach the bereaved families?

"Usually, the families are the ones who contact us and fill out a special form. We assign them a font designer from those registered with us, and that’s how we begin to work."

Lea is moved as she notes that the connections between families and designers repeatedly prove the mutual responsibility in the people of Israel. "For example, the religious designer Elhanan Ben Uri designed a font from the handwriting of Lieutenant Colonel Salman Khabka, from the Druze village of Yanuh-Jat; Zvika Rosenberg, a veteran and respected font designer from Jaffa, designed a font from the handwriting of the soldier Adi Leon, may he rest in peace, from the settlement Nil’i in Samaria; the font designer from Hod HaSharon - Lia Bretz - designed a font from the handwriting of Emmanuel Alemano Flekka - an Ethiopian religious soldier from Kiryat Gat; Shuki Dayan - a Haredi font designer from Bnei Brak - designed a font from the handwriting of the soldier Adi Odia Baruch, from Kiryat Netafim; David (Pontesti), a Haredi font designer from Bnei Brak - designed a font from the handwriting of Amit Man, a paramedic from Be'er Sheva who was on call in Kibbutz Be'eri, and so on and so forth."

Do the designers learn about the life stories of the handwriting owners?

"Of course. When I send the handwriting to designers, I always attach a picture and a text written by the family. I think it is essential for the designer to get inspiration for the design of the handwriting. In the next stage, the designer is required to study the handwriting and translate it into something that can also be used by others."

Finding the Essence

According to Lea, the work is not simple. "We all know our handwriting changes from time to time; sometimes it’s more meticulous and sometimes less, sometimes messy and sometimes organized, but if we pay attention, there’s always a central point that holds it together. The designer is not only required to identify that point but also to connect it with the spirit and energy that the handwriting's owner had. Because handwriting is not just something external, it has a very strong internal force that expresses our personality."

It is not surprising that during the past few months, Lea and the project team were witnesses to very special stories that made them understand the enormous importance and true memorialization the project holds. "For example, we were asked to prepare fonts from the handwriting of a couple who were murdered in Kfar Aza," she shares, "Unfortunately, their home was completely burned down, making it impossible to find their handwriting. The wife usually wrote blessings and letters, so it was easy to find things written in her handwriting, but the husband's handwriting could not be located. Eventually, the family members went to the garage where he worked and took technical documents he had written, which allowed us to design their handwriting. In another case, someone approached us and asked 'if there is a limit.' At first, we didn’t understand what she meant, but then she explained that she wanted to create fonts for the handwriting of five family members who were murdered in Nachal Oz."

And what are the reactions of the families?

"We try very hard to reach each family and present them with the font in person, although it’s not always possible. But the responses are always warm and moving. People actually cry and caress the letters, telling us they feel that we left them something alive from their family member, something that will continue to live with them. Especially since the font is named after them, and is essentially available for free download for all future generations. Every time I see the joy of the family members, it gives me the energy to continue, and in fact, that’s what gives strength to this entire work."