In keeping with the holiday of Tu-B'shvat, on Friday morning February 2, at 10 am, 20 families will gather on the newly constructed Gush Etzion 'boys promenade' to plant trees in memory of Gil-ad Shaer, who along with two other Israeli teens was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists three years ago.
The event is being hosted by The Gush Etzion Foundation and the Shaer family, who invited particular Israeli families to participate, bonded by the fact that they all named a child born in the last three years 'Gil-ad' in their son's memory.
The promenade itself, stretching from the community of Rosh Tzurim to the Alon Shvut Junction where the boys were kidnapped, was built in their memory with a lookout point dedicated to the late Ezra Schwartz, the Boston teen murdered in a Gush shooting terror attack two years ago. The promenade was constructed as part of a partnership between the Gush Etzion Foundation, JNF-USA, and private donors.
Following the tree planting, a short ceremony will be held with speakers Bat-Galim Shaer - Gilad's mother, Gush Etzion Mayor Shlomo Ne'eman, and others. Each family will receive a small gift of appreciation from the Shaer family. Participants will also partake in a short tour of the area led by the Gush Etzion Field School.