This week, in front of the British Parliament, in Trafalgar Square, on Oxford Street and in other locations, an installation was set up, comprising works of various Israeli artists inspired by October 7th, with the purpose of raising global awareness to the call to return the hostages from the hands of the Hamas. The installation was originally set up in the Hostages Square in Tel Aviv by the World Zionist Organization's Department for Israel and Holocaust Commemoration. It was copied to several locations in London upon the initiative of the Department and its heads, Deputy Chair of WZO and Head of the department, Gil Segal and the department's deputy CEO, Sarit Handknopf, with the assistance of Matan Bar-Noy, representing the WZO leadership in Europe, members of the Jewish-Israeli community and its volunteers.
The works in the installation were created by 12 different independent artists who were selected and brought together by Osnat Barda, the Department's projects' manager, and Curator Rotem Mor. Initially the works were well received on social media and placed in the Hostages Square, and this week they were presented at London's central sites. They are a harrowing and powerful expression of the collective pain and concern for the hostages and victims, with works such as the chilling image of a red-haired infant behind bars, alluding to Krif Bibas. Israel's ambassador to the UK, Tzipi Hotovely, came to view the installation and was impressed by the works. Likewise, alongside supportive and inquisitive reactions from the general audience, quite a few blunt responses against the installation and the State of Israel were noted, as well as several incidents of verbal and physical violence among anti-Israeli protesters, and even one attempt to vandalize the installation.
WZO Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Organization's Department for Israel and Holocaust Commemoration, Gil Segal, remarked: "Continuing to raise awareness to the insufferable and unconceivable distress of the families of the hostages who are held in captivity by the Hamas monsters, is a national mission of the highest importance. By presenting the installation in central locations in London, we sought on the one hand to engage the public to see the importance of bringing them back home - especially in these locations where we knew we might meet opposition. It was significant for us to present the horrific events of October 7th which there are those who constantly try to deny and ignore. I thank Matan Bar-Noy, Orit Eyal and the assistance of the British Jewish community in setting up this important installation in London."
CEO of the WZO Department for Israel and Holocaust Commemoration, Sarit Handknopf, added: "These disturbing art works manifest the desperate pain of the hostages' families, as well as the collective pain of Israeli society. As time passes, we regretfully are called to remind the world of the despicable massacre, and yes – to raise awareness to the fact that there are still134 families awaiting their loved ones at home. We chose London, which sadly was a center of anti-Israeli protests, in opposition to the British Government, in order to hold the truth in the faces of these vocal opponents."