A memorial corner in Binyamina honoring Inbar Haiman, who was murdered on Oct. 7 and whose body was abducted to Gaza, was vandalized during Lag BaOmer celebrations, a local nonprofit said Wednesday.
The memorial, built in a grove about a year ago, includes a pink bench honoring Haiman, a graffiti artist known by the nickname “Pink.” It also included large wooden logs used as a table and additional seating.
According to the Haim Lenahal Taninim nonprofit, one of the large logs, which had been fixed to the ground, was uprooted and used as the base for a Lag BaOmer bonfire.
“This morning our hearts were very sad,” the group wrote. “This was a very sad and disappointing act that made all of our hearts ache.”
The group said the memorial was created in honor of Haiman, who was the partner of Noam, the son of Binyamina resident Nirit Lavi Alon. It said the pink bench was designed as a tribute to Haiman’s identity as a graffiti artist.
The nonprofit said it would repair and restore the site, and asked visitors and residents to protect it.
Later, the group said it had received many messages from children, teenagers and residents of Binyamina and elsewhere in Israel offering to help.
“It is moving, joyful and above all heart-expanding,” the group said. “The desire to help and repair is much greater than any damage.”
Haiman was 27 when she was murdered by terrorists at the Nova music festival, where she had arrived as a volunteer helper. Her body was taken to Gaza. She was initially believed to be alive for about two months, until her family was informed of her death on Dec. 16, 2023.