Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered while held captive by Hamas.
By Shula Rosen
Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Israel has opened a new therapeutic playroom dedicated to the memory of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the Israeli mother and her two young sons murdered while held captive by Hamas.
The initiative, created in partnership with the nonprofit Toys for Simcha, is intended to bring healing and hope to hospitalized children through play and emotional support.
The room is the first of four such therapeutic spaces being developed at the hospital. It was unveiled during a ceremony attended by the Bibas family, donors, hospital leadership and other guests.
Filled with soft light, vibrant orange flowers and butterfly designs, the playroom was designed to reflect the spirit of the Bibas children and offer comfort to young patients facing serious illness.
Hospital officials described the space as a blend of joy, memory and care.
Dr. Efrat Bron-Harlev, the hospital’s CEO, said the Bibas family was expected to be among those treated in the hospital’s special unit for returnees from Hamas captivity. “We had prepared to welcome them with care and healing,” she said. “When the news came that they had been murdered, it left us shattered.”
While the hospital was unable to help them in life, she said, this space would ensure their memory lives on in a way that brings light to others.
Bron-Harlev emphasized that children’s recovery involves more than just medicine. “They need beauty, music, play and love too — this room brings all of that together,” she said.
The project was funded by donors Michelle Domb and Sruli Anatian, with additional support from Shiri Bibas’ uncle, Morris Schneider. It was developed in collaboration with Schneider’s medical and therapeutic teams.
Three more rooms will open soon: the Toys for Simcha Playroom, the Michael M. Kameo Playroom and a music room named for Ruth Peres and Ethel Peres Gordon. Each is designed to meet specific emotional and developmental needs of young patients, and together they represent a broader shift toward whole-child care in pediatric hospitals.
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