When the family of Dr. Shawn Dahan Nashi, a specialist doctor in the ENT department at Rambam, made the decision to adopt a cat whose tail had been cut off from the street, he did not imagine that the same four-legged creature would lead him on a journey. One that started from his home, passes through children's rooms in Israel and reaches even up to the Gaza Strip.
Dr. Dahan Nashi repeats:
Esi was a cat we adopted from Rehovot Kiryat Shmona. Essie was injured after a dog attack, and was intended to be euthanized, but we decided to fund him a life-saving surgery that included tail amputation. It always amazed me how from Ace the cat's point of view, he was not at all interested in the lack or "defect" he had and nothing stopped him from being the most dominant cat in the neighborhood and in the house. I was inspired by Massie and decided to write a children's book with this exact message. Realizing the inner potential inherent in everyone, even in the presence of a limiting or different situation.
Dr. Dahan Nashi decided to turn the experience of raising a special cat like Essie into a message that would resonate outside the circle of his nuclear family. This is how the family cat became a central character in a children's book named "Golden Cat Even Without a Tail", which tells the stories of a cat dealing with Similar circumstances and having difficulty fitting in among the cats in his environment. The hero of the story decides to run away to the forest, and on his journey he meets different and strange animals that help him see beyond his flaws and teach him an important lesson about uniqueness, ability and friendship.
"I wanted to pass on our personal source of inspiration to other children," explains Dr. Dahan Hanasi, "the book inspired by our Esi is full of charm and empowering, it allows for a lively and in-depth discussion about tolerance, acceptance and seeing the good."
The book, which was not only written by Dr. Dahan Nashi, but also edited by him using artificial intelligence software, has already been published by "Tzmarat" and is currently sold in bookstores, including the "Stimetsky" chain.
The personal story that became the story of all of us
With the outbreak of the "Iron Swords" war, the book took a turn. On 7.10, Major Ariel Ben Moshe, MP in a patrol of the Defense Forces, who left his home that same Sabbath, and went to the south to fight, was killed. Ben Moshe raised over 300 fighters that morning and commanded the battles in Kibbutz Reim, where he also found his death, in the last house left to be purified in the Kibbutz.
Major Ben Moshe was the brother-in-law of Dahan Nashi, who after his death, decided to dedicate the book to his memory and transfer part of the profits from the sale of the book to the benefit of an association established in the hero's name - the "Barai Ariel" association. The association aims to instill Zionist values among Israeli society, out of love for the country, excellence, humility, responsibility and statesmanship, and to promote equal opportunities for the residents of the periphery and the development of leadership among the citizens of the State of Israel - in the spirit and image of the fallen.
"When it was written, the book was dedicated to my family - my wife Adi and my sons, Kerem and Rif, but the "Iron Swords" war and the 7th of October changed our lives and took away our beloved brother-in-law," says Dr. Dahan Nashi, "Ariel was an Israeli hero who left his wife Yuval That Sabbath at their home, and he went to the south to fight for the people he loved so much. He left an indescribable hole and sadness in all of our hearts. His comrades in arms tell about a revered commander who was supposed to be Chief of Staff one day - we tell about the best husband, son, brother, brother-in-law and uncle we could have. This book is dedicated to the memory of our Ariel - that every house in Israel knows what we lost and what we have to keep."
