Butterfly Renamed in Honour of Murdered Hostage Ariel Bibas

IFCJ Canada  |  April 11, 2025

An orange butterfly in Israel was renamed in Hebrew to “Kitmit Ariel” or Orange Ariel in remembrance of the sweet and cherished 4-year-old with orange hair, reports The Times of Israel:

The Hebrew name of a spotted orange butterfly has been changed to honour murdered hostage Ariel Bibas by the Academy of the Hebrew Language, the Bibas family announced Friday…

Using one of the biblical names of Jerusalem, Ariel, the name of the butterfly was replaced in Hebrew from Kitmit Yerushalayim (Orange Jerusalem) to Kitmit Ariel (Orange Ariel) in honour of the four-year-old.

The decision was made unanimously by the academy’s members in a full plenum session after first securing the permission of Yarden Bibas.

“We believe that of all the orange butterflies in our country, this butterfly deserves to be named Ariel, as it is one of the names of Jerusalem,” the letter to Yarden Bibas read.