Terror victim's final project becoming a reality
Murdered in a stabbing attack in Beit Horon seven months ago, Shlomit Krigman was an industrial design student whose final project is being moved ahead by her family as a way to memorialize her.
Before her death, Shlomit wrote in her university magazine: "This is a social action project second to none. Public libraries are not new inventions, but surprisingly, there aren't many examples of this in the world. I chose this project because I see immense importance in the age of cellphones and the alienation of people in public. This is a project that has great potential to bring people together and foster interpersonal communication."
In the months following her death, Shlomit's family have been trying to move her project forward and in the process, have met with the Jerusalem municipality, which supported the initiative. Monday, the family began raising funds on the website Jumpstarter, with the goal being to raise 250 thousand shekels. Within two days, 14 thousand shekels have been raised and there 58 days remain to get to their goal.
According to the plan, the first street lamp libraries will be built in the Katamon neighborhood in Jerusalem. The libraries will be placed in residential areas and playgrounds and will form an integral part of community activities, youth movements and schools. Schools will take responsibility over maintenance and operation of the libraries during a mandated reading hour every day, while passersby will be able to borrow books and read them on a bench nearby.
"It is important for us to emphasize that this is a social project that is open to everyone and does not have a business interest," said Naama Krigman, Shlomit's mother. "One of Shlomit's greatest loves was books and she wanted to use them to connect people. The goal of the project is to continue the story of Shlomit."
