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Ronny EdryIsraeli designer
Country:
 Israel |
Content:
- Biography of Ronnie Edri
- Creating a Message of Peace
- Unexpected Impact
- A Global Movement
- Achieving Unity
- Continuing the Movement
Biography of Ronnie Edri
Ronnie Edri is an Israeli graphic designer who founded one of the largest movements for peaceful conflict resolution in the Middle East. He is 41 years old and a father of two children. He works as a graphic design teacher in schools and universities and is also an avid user of the social network Facebook, which is where it all began.
Creating a Message of Peace
It all started when Ronnie began uploading his artwork to Facebook. Some people loved his work, while others did not. However, one of his posters gained unexpected attention. The first poster featured a picture of Ronnie with his daughter in his arms, with the caption stating, "Iranians, we do not want to bomb you. We love you."
Unexpected Impact
Within hours, the poster garnered thousands of views and hundreds of reposts. People from all over the world left comments under the poster, but one message caught Ronnie's attention. A young girl from Iran wrote to him, confessing that she and her family were moved to tears by the poster. They never imagined that there were people in Israel who saw them as equals. Ronnie, who had always considered Iranians as enemies due to media portrayal, felt a strange mix of emotions as he replied to her message. Suddenly, they became brothers and sisters in an instant.
A Global Movement
Ronnie continued his campaign by publishing a second poster featuring a picture of his wife and son, with the same message of love towards Iranians. The popularity of the campaign grew, and hundreds of people started sending him their own photos, asking him to turn them into posters. Alongside other designers, Ronnie spent sleepless nights editing the photos and adding his famous declaration of love.
He realized the global impact of his message when he received the first poster from Iran, with the caption stating, "Israelis, we do not want to bomb you. We love you." Ronnie never imagined that such a connection would be possible. As he received more messages and posters from people around the world, he discovered that they were just like him. They had graphic designers, dancers, and similar lifestyles.
Achieving Unity
The campaign gained even more momentum when Ronnie's wife gave an interview to journalists, unknowingly spreading the message of their project to the world. This led to the creation of similar groups on Facebook, where people rejected stereotypes, political promises, and wars, and simply expressed their love for one another. The posters with hearts and the words "we love you" became a trend on the internet and especially on social media, where users used them as their avatars.
One particular photo showing a couple kissing while holding Israeli and Iranian passports became the most viewed image on several photography websites. Ronnie received hundreds of messages thanking him and expressing gratitude for showing that wars have no impact on the understanding of ordinary people.
Continuing the Movement
Currently, Ronnie's Facebook project page attracts over 2 million visitors every week. Ronnie and his wife travel the world to present their project, often being recognized, thanked, and offered new ideas. Despite his growing popularity, Ronnie remains humble and quietly wipes away tears whenever the audience stands up to applaud him.
