Chabad on Campus International announced the launch of the #CampusforBibas initiative in honor of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, the mother and her two small children who were murdered by their captors weeks after they were kidnapped from their home during the October 7 massacre.
"The Jewish world was shaken by the heartbreaking murder of Kfir and Ariel Bibas—two innocent children who, along with their mother, Shiri Bibas, were brutally murdered by Hamas. But beyond the grief, a painful realization struck: Kfir and Ariel will never have the chance to put on tefillin, a sacred milestone for Jewish boys as they reach bar mitzvah age. In response, Chabad on Campus International is launching the #CampusforBibas initiative, calling on Jewish students worldwide to embrace Jewish practices in their memory. For Jewish male students, this means taking on the mitzvah of wrapping tefillin—ensuring that while Kfir and Ariel were robbed of their future, thousands will carry on this tradition in their memory," the organization stated.
Jewish students were also called to light Shabbat candles in memory of Shiri Bibas. Shabbat candle-sets will be distributed on many college campuses as part of the initiative.
“This initiative was born from the painful reality that Kfir and Ariel will never get to grow up and put on tefillin, and Shiri will never again light Shabbat candles for her family,” said Rabbi Avi Weinstein, Chabad on Campus International COO, a representative of Chabad on Campus International. “Through #CampusforBibas, students can honor their memory in the most powerful way—by living Jewishly. Every mitzvah done in their name is a declaration that the Jewish people will never be extinguished.”
Shiri Bibas was kidnapped together with her four-year-old son Ariel and nine-month-old son Kfir on October 7, 2023. They were held in Gaza for 16 months before their bodies were finally returned last month. Forensic analysis determined that the two small children were strangled to death by their captors in November 2023, weeks after their kidnapping. Shiri was also murdered at around the same time.