For Moshe Shapira, the loss of his son Aner, the hero who saved numerous lives by tossing back grenades at a bomb shelter on October 7, was a moment where time stood still. "Losing a child stops everything," he shares. "It’s a bit like the whole world looks upside down. Like taking someone's glasses off, nothing looks the same anymore."
Art, once an integral part of his life as an architect and illustrator, was the first casualty of his grief. "Drawing is something you do out of joy, and it was the first thing I stopped doing," he recalls. However, out of that void, a new, almost obsessive urge was born. Today, he carries a notebook everywhere, drawing constantly, returning to the landscapes of his childhood and his son’s life.
The Last Dialogue: Illustration as a Lifeline
The bond between Moshe and Aner was always forged through paper and pencil. Aner himself was a gifted illustrator, and the two shared a "professional dialogue" - sending each other works, consulting, and exchanging critiques.
When Moshe decided to return to drawing, it wasn't easy. "I forced myself to draw," he admits. "It was hard, truly, with a desperate lack of will." The turning point came when he realized his illustrations touched people worldwide. He has since illustrated two books and opened an exhibition, but his greatest challenge arrived when he was asked to illustrate Aner himself for a book dedicated to his memory and that of his close friend, Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
"I made 30 attempts already. I had a block; I couldn't illustrate Aner. I, who had illustrated him since he was a child, was unable to do it. In the end, my wife and children said the illustration I did was worthy, but I had almost given up."
"Texture of Life": Empowering Bereaved Families
Moshe does not settle for his own personal healing. Through the "Texture of Life" (Rikmat Chaim) project, he connects artists with bereaved families to create joint works following their loss. He recently illustrated a tribute to the fallen soldier Hillel Ovadia HY'D.
