From Red South to “South at Heart,” the annual Darom Adom Festival will this year be transformed to reflect solidarity with the families of hostages and the missing, the Shikma-Bsor Tourism Association announced in a recent statement.
The flower festival, held in February in the western and northern Negev, includes activities such as an Anemone Run calling for the return of the hostages and KKL-JNF's traditional Anemone Walk, which will be held this year under the theme "Walking and Remembering,” according to the festival’s social media. Various other activities will be offered at KKL-JNF sites and forests.
Doron Ashtan Nachmani, the CEO of the association, said they “cannot celebrate or proceed with our traditional festival until all our brothers and sisters are safely returned.”
“Every day that passes only heightens our concern for their well-being, and our unwavering commitment is to do everything in our power to bring them home,” Nachmani said. “At the same time, it is crucial for us to support the South, its residents, and its businesses during this challenging time. This is why we have developed an alternative program that merges these two vital missions.”
Local businesses
“South at Heart,” developed in partnership with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), will focus on “supporting local tourism businesses and raising awareness of the urgent need to bring the hostages home,” the statement said.
In 2013, the Anemone coronaria was chosen as Israel’s national flower.