Initial Development

Selecting a project that appropriately memorializes a young man who was son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, uncle and friend requires a healthy understanding of who he was.  Noam, z”l, was a multi-faceted individual.  However, one simple fact of his life made the decision to develop Shvil Noam an obviously appropriate decision.

Noam walked back and forth, from his home to the basketball/soccer court, thousands of times.  The path from the neighborhood to the court was covered by the construction of our home.  Recreating a path, from the neighborhood, by our home, to the court, was an obvious option.

Development of the path also created new park space in an area that was previously virgin forest (well, to as great an extent as that concept is applicable in Israel).  It created usable green spaces including a new area for senior citizens bound to electric carts and wheel-chairs.  That achievement is in keeping with the Noam that we knew.

Development involved meeting with representatives of the community, hiring an architect who specializes in the development of green-spaces, gaining approval of the plan, hiring a contractor, and supervising the execution.  In turn, all that required someone blessed with artistic talent, who had some extra time, and who was prepared to invest heart and soul in the project.  The latter person was Yaffa.

The area of the path was previously overgrown with natural undergrowth and covered with a typically Israeli covering of evergreen trees.  There were several make-shift paths worn by children trying to wind their way through the brush, from the neighborhood to the court.

Today, the path about 200 meters long, paved with asphalt, with a memorial area and a marbles court.  The path is lined with stone.  Infrastructure for lighting has been installed, although the lighting itself is a project for another year. 

The selection of the memorial stone, an unhewn stone from alongside the Netofa valley, was personally supervised by Yaffa.  The task of moving and placing the 2.5 ton stone was donated by the contractor, a member of a prominent family in the neighboring Arab town of Bo’eina. 

Our thanks to all who contributed and all who participated. 

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