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Orange butterfly named in honor of Ariel Bibas.
Academy of the Hebrew Language renames orange butterfly Melitaea ornata in memory of Ariel Bibas, who was murdered with his mother and brother in Hamas captivity.
Israel National News.
Apr 4, 2025, 3:38 PM (GMT+3)
Orange butterfly named in honor of Ariel Bibas
Israel ישראל @Israel:
A butterfly now carries his name.
The Hebrew Language Academy
@HebAcademy has renamed the Jerusalem fritillary butterfly (Melitaea ornata) the Ariel fritillary, in memory of five-year-old Ariel Bibas—murdered in Hamas captivity along with his mother, Shiri, and baby brother, Kfir.
In a letter to Ariel’s father, Yarden Bibas, the Academy wrote: “Of all our country’s orange butterflies, this one should carry Ariel’s name. May it be a small comfort to you and an everlasting tribute to those lost in this tragic war.”
Apr 4, 2024
Butterfly renamed in honor of murdered hostage Ariel Bibas.
Orange Jerusalem renamed Orange Ariel, evoking an alternate biblical name for the capital and the vivid color of the slain 4-year-old’s hair
By Michael Horovitz. April 4, 2025.
The Hebrew name of a spotted orange butterfly has been changed to honor murdered hostage Ariel Bibas by the Academy of the Hebrew Language, the Bibas family announced Friday.
The academy last week officially informed the family, and on Thursday hand-delivered a letter addressed to Bibas’s father, Yarden — who was also taken hostage but released in February under a ceasefire deal — of the final decision to rename Melitaea ornata (eastern knapweed fritillary).
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 honor 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.
Butterfly renamed in honor of murdered hostage Ariel Bibas
Hebrew Language Academy renames orange butterfly to honor Ariel Bibas.
This specific butterfly was chosen to honor Ariel not just for its orange wings, but because Ariel is one of Jerusalem’s 70 names, the academy explained.
By Shir Peretz.
April 4, 2025.
Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were murdered in captivity by Hamas in 2023. photo credit: The Bibas family.
www.jpost.com
Truly
Touching
Gesture
Orange butterfly named in honor of Ariel Bibas.
Academy of the Hebrew Language renames orange butterfly Melitaea ornata in memory of Ariel Bibas, who was murdered with his mother and brother in Hamas captivity.
Israel National News.
Apr 4, 2025, 3:38 PM (GMT+3)
Orange butterfly named in honor of Ariel Bibas
Israel ישראל @Israel:
A butterfly now carries his name.
The Hebrew Language Academy
@HebAcademy has renamed the Jerusalem fritillary butterfly (Melitaea ornata) the Ariel fritillary, in memory of five-year-old Ariel Bibas—murdered in Hamas captivity along with his mother, Shiri, and baby brother, Kfir.
In a letter to Ariel’s father, Yarden Bibas, the Academy wrote: “Of all our country’s orange butterflies, this one should carry Ariel’s name. May it be a small comfort to you and an everlasting tribute to those lost in this tragic war.”

Apr 4, 2024
Butterfly renamed in honor of murdered hostage Ariel Bibas.
Orange Jerusalem renamed Orange Ariel, evoking an alternate biblical name for the capital and the vivid color of the slain 4-year-old’s hair
By Michael Horovitz. April 4, 2025.
The Hebrew name of a spotted orange butterfly has been changed to honor murdered hostage Ariel Bibas by the Academy of the Hebrew Language, the Bibas family announced Friday.
The academy last week officially informed the family, and on Thursday hand-delivered a letter addressed to Bibas’s father, Yarden — who was also taken hostage but released in February under a ceasefire deal — of the final decision to rename Melitaea ornata (eastern knapweed fritillary).
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 honor 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.
Butterfly renamed in honor of murdered hostage Ariel Bibas
Hebrew Language Academy renames orange butterfly to honor Ariel Bibas.
This specific butterfly was chosen to honor Ariel not just for its orange wings, but because Ariel is one of Jerusalem’s 70 names, the academy explained.
By Shir Peretz.
April 4, 2025.
Kfir and Ariel Bibas, who were murdered in captivity by Hamas in 2023. photo credit: The Bibas family.
Hebrew Language Academy renames orange butterfly to honor Ariel Bibas
This specific butterfly was chosen to honor Ariel not just for its orange wings, but because Ariel is one of Jerusalem’s 70 names, the academy explained.
