Happy Jewish Birthday Around the World (in Memory of Gil-ad)

I was about 14 when I discovered three other friends who were born on the same day as I was — the ninth of Elul. We felt a special bond, and to this day we email or WhatsApp each other on our birthday. One of those friends and I call each other “Sis,” and she became like a surrogate daughter to my elderly parents when I was six thousand miles away from them, so the nickname worked.

And I know I’m not alone.

Proof of this desire to connect with our “birthday partners” is “Happy Birthday 2 You,” a project that will enable any Jew around the world (aged 16 and over) to register and be connected to a Jew in Israel who shares a common birth date. In the span of one month, 15,000 people registered for the initiative.

“Happy Birthday 2 You” was founded by Bat-Galim Shaer, an educator and social activist, and her husband Ophir, a lawyer and tax specialist, through an organization they created called SonShine, in memory of their son Gil-ad (z”l). Gil-ad was one of the three teenaged boys kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists in the summer of 2014.

The country and much of the Jewish world held their breath and became united during that fearsome time, as Israeli security forces and many volunteers searched for the boys for 18 days until they discovered the cruel truth of their deaths. Bat-Galim says, “I will never forget the American who knocked on our door on a Thursday afternoon during the search for the boys. He said, ‘I am here on behalf of my community and we are with you and praying for Gil-ad’s return.’ ” This unity and love culminated in the Shaers creating SonShine, of which Bat-Galim is the chairwoman.

The Shaers intentionally spell Gil-ad’s (Hebrew) name with a hyphen in the middle to emphasize that it means “Joy (gil) forever (ad).” On the 19^th of Tevet (January 3 this year) — Gil-ad would have celebrated his 23^rd birthday. His parents say that they looked for ways to celebrate the day since Gil-ad always loved celebrating the birthdays of his friends and family.

The Shaers hope that this project will help build bridges, continue that feeling of community, connect Jews in Israel and Jews in the Diaspora and encourage the “birth date” partners to form a deeper relationship that may lead to a meeting — even if it is only long distance — or a shared activity.

Ophir calls the Hebrew birthday “the broadest and most basic common denominator for all Jews.” This could be true theoretically, but the truth is there are probably many Jews around the world who are unaware that a “Hebrew” or “Jewish” birthday exists, or, if they know about it, they don’t know which is theirs or don’t celebrate it. This is a wonderful opportunity for them to connect with a birth date partner in Israel in the context of something that has connotations of joy, fun, growth and Jewish life.

And the proof is in the global reaction. According to Michal Slawny Cababia, project manager of SonShine, the people who have registered for “Happy Birthday 2 You” come from more than 50 countries, including Israel, the United States, South Africa, France, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Spain, Canada, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Australia, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Belarus, Sweden and Taiwan. The “Happy Birthday 2 You” website (https://mazeltov.world/En) has versions in Hebrew, English, Russian, French and Spanish. I registered and was paired with a young lady named Ana, who lives in southern Brazil, and we’ve already exchanged emails.

A previous initiative of the Shaers, which is still going strong, is something they call “Sweet Heart,” which encourages people to share baked goods with friends or strangers to “spread love and joy,” especially during the month of Gil-ad’s birthday. They even posted Gil-ad’s favorite, a delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe, on their Instagram account, #SweetGilad. (An actress in the biblical theater group I direct baked them once for the whole cast; they were quickly devoured.) Once again, their goal is building bridges.

Bat-Galim told me that “We come to this [birth date] project from a very personal place. We felt the incredible hug of all the Jewish communities in the world [when the boys were missing], and we understood that when speaking about Am Yisrael, we can’t just talk about those who live here. Having a strong connection between us is important to both sides. They can also be our ambassadors. This is a ‘small’ project but it can make a big difference. We must keep them connected to us, and have their hearts connect with our hearts. That’s why I believe in it.”

What better time to reach out and find your Jewish birthday partner than now, when the whole world is in some form of a COVID-19 lockdown or limitations?

The VIPs who have given their support to this effort and who have even created short clips to encourage others cross the religious and political spectrum. They include Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, popular Hassidic singer Avraham Fried, Israeli author Lihi Lapid and Israeli actress and television host Galit Gutman.

Slawny Cababia says that the initiative is being carried out by a team of professionals, is carefully monitored and has the highest standards of protecting privacy and security.

The Shaers, together with the families of Eyal Yifrah and Naftali Fraenkel (z”l), the other two boys who were murdered, are also co-founders of the Jerusalem Unity Prize and of Unity Day in the boys’ memory.

In recognition of their work to promote unity and solidarity in Israel and the Jewish world, Bat-Galim was honored with an invitation to light a torch at Israel’s National Independence Day ceremony in 2019.

Israel is a small country. I taught Naftali, a friend of Gil-ad’s and one of the three boys who was murdered. I imagine him, Gil-ad and Eyal smiling at the 15,000 people who have already connected through their Jewish birthday and blessing us with wishes for happier and more unified times.

Toby Klein Greenwald lives in Israel. She is an award-winning journalist, artistic director of Raise Your Spirits Theatre, and the editor-in-chief of WholeFamily.com.