A mosaic created by kids

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If you go snooping around in its out-of-the-way corners, you'll find that Jerusalem's huge International Convention Center (Binyanei HaUma) is full of treasures.
Remember those funny naked statues in the broom closet and the Roman Tenth Legion kilns in the basement?
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When I needed a break from browsing at the official event in the hall, the International Book Fair, I went roaming upstairs, only to find this nice mosaic half-hidden behind coat racks.
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The mosaic looked better reflected in this wall of mirrors
AND it gave me a shot for James' Weekend Reflections meme.
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The inscription explains that the mosaic is a tribute to Jerusalem made by the 6th grade class of Dekalim School in Kibbutz Hamadia in 1993.
The art project was an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Culture.
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Wouldn't you love to make a mosaic, especially at the age of ten?!
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Today's nationwide grass roots demonstrations

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Translation of the poster:

A 5-MINUTE DEMONSTRATION FOR

GILAD SCHALIT

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Just 5 minutes -- but ALL of us!!!

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On March 15 at 11:00 the whole country

will go out to the street for 5 minutes

to insist that the Government get the boy back!

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Citizen Kobi Sidi -- kobisidi@gmail.com

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Some said it was supposed to be a silent demonstration, one minute of silence for each of the almost five years that our young soldier has been held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The Chief Rabbi recommended praying and reading Psalms, especially the 27th.
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But I got off the bus just before 11:00 next to a big school in Jerusalem.
All the kids and their teachers were out chanting slogans for Gilad, even with a bullhorn.

The banners say "GILAD IS STILL ALIVE -- http://www.gilad.org/"

The boys held the posters right up to the bus windows to remind the passengers what was happening.
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When the first bus driver thought he could keep driving through the busy Yad Sarah junction, the young people sat down on the street.

Good for them!

Traffic was backed up back to Mount Herzl, but no one beeped. Some drivers got out and stood to identify with the cause.
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Even private houses had the yellow ribbon and handmade signs to remind us, "Five minutes for Gilad Schalit."

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This whole idea for a popular demonstration was the initiative of one private citizen, Kobi Sidi.

Ynet has interesting details about how he started the idea on Facebook and how he was surprised how quickly support swelled.

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The Jerusalem Post has a video of Gilad's father (interviewed in English) at another demonstration gathering place, Jerusalem's Paris Square.

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My own blog has four earlier posts about the work being done by his parents and by the people to free Gilad.

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Wouldn't it be wonderful if Gilad could be home in time for THIS year's Passover seder . . . .

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