Post 9: A Very Different Sticker Culture

All over Israel, we came across these boards covered in thousands of stickers. You see them at bus stops, train stations, memorials, and bomb shelters. Basically everywhere.

The stickers honor people killed on October 7 and soldiers who died in the war that followed. Grieving families and friends created them as an independent movement to express shared sorrow.

In addition to name and photo, each sticker features the subject’s personal motto, a favorite quote, or life lesson. The National Library of Israel is now documenting this grassroots movement through the Stickers of Meaning Project. Among the quotes we came across:

“If love could’ve saved you, you would have lived forever.”

“Some roads you have to take alone, just you and god.”

I was deeply moved by these boards, and couldn’t help comparing them to the sticker culture back home. Shortly after returning from Israel, we traveled to Colorado and saw sticker boards filled with things we usually celebrate in the U.S. like brands, dog faces, and pop culture symbols.

Where we use public spaces to showcase our consumer identities and hobbies, Israel uses them to hold onto the souls of a generation. In America, stickers celebrate what we like. In Israel, they help preserve who was lost.

Seeing them side-by-side really highlights the profound weight of daily life and collective grief in Israel right now. A public wall in Israel isn’t just a space for expression like it is here in the U.S. It’s a living monument and a source of national mourning and community support.

Memorial sticker board in Israel for the October 7, 2023 victims.