Awakened by sirens as terrorists infiltrated Israel’s border on the morning of October 7, Philadelphia artist Sivia Katz Braunstein counted the hours while sheltering with her family in a safe room on the kibbutz where she was visiting family. Only later did she learn that some 1,200 people were murdered and nearly 250 were abducted on that terrible day.
After making her way home, Braunstein decided to use her artistic talent to raise awareness of the hostage crisis. She and a group of fellow women artists in Philadelphia – Nancy Gordon, Deborah Morris Zakheim, Judy Rohtbart, Jane Bennett, Carol Lert, Sue Seif, and Carol Sack Denmark – volunteered their time and talent to paint 8×10 portraits of each hostage, including the dead, the freed, and those still in captivity.
“We’re artists,” said Sivia Katz Braunstein. “This is our way to bring attention to the men, women, and children forcibly taken from Israel on October 7th. They were just living their lives, like we are doing now, when Hamas invaded Israel and abducted them.”
From March 8 to April 14, 2024, the special art installation spanned the Museum’s 3rd floor atrium, offering a profound reflection on humanity’s endurance in the face of adversity.
View the portrait gallery here: https://theweitzman.org/draft-the-portraits/
View photos from the artists’ reception here:
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