"She didn't want any child to be left alone": Yona Adam to give a lecture in memory of her daughter, Mapel Adam
Mapel Adam, who was murdered at the Nova festival, transformed her childhood experience with bullying into a lifelong mission of kindness. Her mother, Yona Adam, will present a lecture at a children's theater festival in Beer Sheva, focusing on Mapel's values of unconditional acceptance and giving.
There are those who carry childhood pain as a scar, and those who transform it into a mission. The late Mapel Adam was the latter. After enduring prolonged social bullying in her youth, she leveraged that hardship to become a person who truly saw others, reaching out to the lonely and believing in the power of friendship. Mapel became an exceptional officer and educator, dedicating her life to these values until she was murdered on October 7 at the age of 26 at the Nova festival.
"Dealing with social bullying was extraordinarily important to Mapel," says her mother, Yona Adam. "In the weeks before October 7, our conversations were largely about children. Mapel managed an after-school program in Herzliya and found it heartbreaking to see children standing on the sidelines without friends."
After the tragedy, Yona sought a way to continue her daughter's path. On Mapel's first birthday without her, Yona organized an event for children who had experienced bullying. "Parents told me that these stories needed to be heard. It took me a year to process my grief and develop the 'Mapel of Light' lecture that I now share," Yona explains.
A Festival of Friendship in Beer Sheva
On August 12 and 13, Mapel’s story will be featured at the Beer Sheva Children and Youth Theater festival, held this year under the theme "Weaving Friendships." The event will launch the "Reuti" model, a social-educational initiative inspired by Mapel, designed to give children tools to eradicate bullying and foster a more inclusive society.
"The festival producers decided to dedicate the entire event to Mapel," says Yona. "It felt like a gift from another dimension." According to her mother, Mapel taught her that giving has no limits. At 16, she donated her hair to cancer patients, simply stating, "Mom, they need it more than I do, and my hair will grow back."
A Dream of Education
Mapel’s dream was to establish a school that prioritized social and life skills over core curriculum. "She believed that no person is 'transparent.' She saw the light in everyone, and that is her true legacy. People often tell me, 'Mapel was my other half.' She had a wonderful ability to make everyone feel like an inseparable part of her life," Yona recalls.
Despite the deep anger and pain of her loss, Yona continues her daughter's work. "I chose light. I decided to take Mapel’s image and shine through it for others, because that is exactly how she lived. This work is part of my therapy, and the hugs I receive after my lectures give me the strength to keep going."
