The exhibition will feature acclaimed Israeli graffiti artist Benzi Brofman’s portraits of victims of Oct. 7th including hostages still in Hamas captivity.
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of October 7th, renowned graffiti artist Benzi Brofman and the international Israel education organization StandWithUs are collaborating on a special memorial art exhibition called “Faces of October 7th.”
The exhibition will be hosted at the StandWithUs Katz Education Center in Jerusalem, which will be converted into a space of reflection and memory for thousands of visitors.
The exhibition officially opens on September 24th, 2024, during an emotional ceremony at the StandWithUs Katz Center, with the courageous families of the victims and hostages whose loved one’s portraits are featured. It runs through October 30. Tickets and more information are available at: https://standwithus.com/facesofoctober7
The exhibition will also feature a unique Virtual Reality (VR) experience titled “Survived To Tell” platform . created and powered by “Israeli-IS”. This remarkable technology takes users on a journey showing the remarkable stories of five heroes who survived and assisted others during the October 7th massacre. Designed to foster empathy and deepen the understanding of the harrowing events of October 7th, this meticulously crafted VR project offers a respectful remembrance of the events while empowering audiences through technology-driven storytelling, showing extraordinary resilience and unwavering courage in the face of the unimaginable.
A beautiful and immersive experience, “Faces of October 7th” is organized in partnership with Dubai-based businessman and philanthropist, Eitan Neishlos. Neishlos’s grandfather’s story of being saved by devout Christians during the Holocaust inspired him to be a voice for peace in the Middle East and to speak out against the global rise of antisemitism, the terrors of October 7th, and the ongoing horror of the hostage situation.
Artist Benzi Brofman, dubbed by many as the “Banksy” of Israel, was at the Unity Festival in Re’im outside the Nova Music Festival on October 6th, painting live murals just hours before the massacre. After witnessing the horrors that took place, he decided to dedicate his work to the commemoration of the victims including murdered civilians, hostages, and fallen soldiers. Since the onset of the war, he has crafted impactful art installations and murals across Europe, Israel, and beyond. The portraits in the exhibition, created with the permission and collaboration of the victims’ families, showcase the personal stories of the murdered, hostages, and fallen soldiers.
A unique audio visual experience surrounds the portraits giving further background to both the events of October 7 and showing the creation of the art, as well as additional murals that were painted by the artist around the world. An interactive VR exhibit will also allow visitors to see the sites that were most affected by the attacks and an interactive touch-screen maps out the sites of the massacre. Every victim is memorialized on screen and visitors will be able to leave remembrance notes and pay tribute to those who we have lost.
StandWithUs Israel Executive Director, Michael Dickson, on the inspiration for this exhibition:
“Over the past year, Israelis and Israel-supporters have lost loved ones, served or had friends serving in the reserves, and have been praying for the safe-return of our hostages. As an international Israel education organization dedicated to combatting antisemitism, our team has spent countless hours since October 7th making sure to disseminate key facts about the war with Hamas on social-media, on college & high-school campuses, and during sessions and tours at our center in Jerusalem. We have all endured a roller coaster of emotions during the last year and are keenly aware of the need to process the traumatic events that we have all experienced. The decision to open this exhibition was born out of a profound understanding that the combination of our experiences and the remarkable space that is the StandWithUs Katz Education Center offer a unique opportunity to cultivate a meaningful, impactful, and immersive experience.”
Artist Benzi Brofman on his portraits:
“The ‘Faces of October 7th’ exhibition is more than just a collection of portraits; it’s a tribute to the lives tragically lost and a testament to the resilience of our community. By commemorating the victims and raising awareness for the hostages through art, we create a powerful space for reflection, unity, and hope. I want this exhibition to serve as a reminder of the human stories behind the headlines and as a call to remember and honor those affected.”
ABOUT STANDWITHUS
StandWithUs (SWU) is an international, nonprofit and non-partisan education organization that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism.
Through university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel, StandWithUs supports people around the world who want to educate their schools and communities about Israel.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters and programs throughout the U.S., in Israel, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands and Australia.
For the last eleven years, SWU has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator and Guidestar, two charity watchdog groups that assess hundreds of thousands of charities in the United States.
More at www.standwithus.com .
