Young cancer victim honored with record-breaking block tower

Workers and volunteers at the Tel Aviv municipality build a 36-meter-high tower in Rabin Square to break the Guinness World Record and immortalize a nine-year-old cancer victim.
Reuters, Itay Blumenthal and Asaf Zagrizak|
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Tel Aviv residents have built a world record-contending, 36-meter (118ft) plastic brick tower, featuring more than 500,000 pieces, to honor a young cancer victim in the Israeli city.
The multi-colored 'Omer Tower', named after 8-year-old Lego fan Omer Sayag, was completed using cranes in Rabin Square on Wednesday after more than a fortnight's construction work by thousands of residents.
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(צילום: AFP)
5 View gallery
(צילום: AFP)
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(צילום: AFP)
"Omer was a boy who loved life, who spoke at eye level with people older than him, younger than him, different from him and like him," his father said. "The doctors told us that no one withstood difficult treatments as he did and kept a positive attitude throughout. I felt that I was learning from him and was encouraged by him instead of the other way around."
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(צילום: EPA)
5 View gallery
(צילום: EPA)
"It was the idea of his (Sayag's) former kindergarten teacher, and building blocks were donated by residents, companies and some were purchased using municipality funds," a spokesperson for the mayor's office said.
There was no Guinness World Records adjudicator on site to measure the 'Omer Tower', meaning Tel Aviv must wait for approval from the body to confirm they have beaten the previous record of 35.05 meters (115 ft), built in Milan in 2015.
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