Aviv Katz Asher by Judy Rohtbart

Past Installation

Online gallery coming soon

Their Portraits: Philadelphia Artists Honor October 7 Hostages
On view March 8 through April 14, 2024

Experience the resilience and remembrance embodied in Their Portraits: Philadelphia Artists Honor October 7 Hostages. This poignant art installation honors the 240 hostages taken from Israel by Hamas through heartfelt portraits by eight local artists. Join us for a reception to meet the women who created these portraits and to reflect, honor, and remember.

The Weitzman is honored to host and display Their Portraits in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and Combat Antisemitism Movement.

Related Events

Artists’ Reception
Sunday, March 17, 2-4 pm, at The Weitzman
Learn more and register (Free, registration required)

More about the Installation
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, the special art installation will span the museum’s 3rd floor atrium, offering a profound reflection on humanity’s endurance in the face of adversity.

NEWS

CBS NEWS: Portraits of people taken hostage by Hamas on display in Philadelphia’s Old City museum

NBC NEWS: Over 200 painted portraits of Israeli hostages on display at Philadelphia museum

You may also be interested in:

Weitzman Response to Israel Attacks