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Two and half months after the October 7th attack, the largest “Bring Them Home Now” street mural in the world — calling for the release of the nearly 130 hostages still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip — was unveiled on Wednesday near Los Angeles, California, in an initiative co-organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Artists 4 Israel.
More than 100 communal leaders and activists gathered outside the Ample Entertainment headquarters on Washington Boulevard in Culver City for the event.
The speakers lineup was headlined American Jewish social media influencer Ariel Martin, commonly known as “Baby Ariel,” who told the crowd, “Saying the entire world ignored what happened on October 7th is giving these people too much credit. They didn’t ignore — they witnessed the horrors, they heard the stories, and then they made a conscious decision to turn a blind eye to the evil of the attackers and instead accuse Israel of being the aggressor and the monster.”
“What terrifies me is the very people who are marching against Israel and calling for BDS are my peers, my generation,” she added. “The people I have so proudly aligned with in the past in support of humanity and equality for all people. But I guess Jews are the exception. I am disgusted by their words. I am appalled by their lack of education, their willingness to jump on to a bandwagon with no regard for historical fact, and the degree of indoctrination they are blindly following into believing a false version of reality and history.”
Remarks were also delivered by CAM CEO Sacha Roytman, Artists 4 Israel CEO Craig Dershowitz, Israeli actress and model Moran Atias, Director of Civic Engagement at the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles Rachel Wallace, American Jewish Committee Los Angeles Director Richard Hirshhaut, former Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, and Rabbi Adam Kligfeld of Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles.
“The past 75 days since October 7th have presented clear choice to the international community — stand with Israel in its mission to eradicate Hamas and safeguard modern democracy or align with Hamas and undermine the foundations of the free world,” Roytman said. “What happened on October 7th was the first phase in another attempted genocide of the Jewish people, we dare not let those behind it continue their plans. This mural stands as a powerful public rebuke to all who deny or distort the truth of the horrific crimes perpetrated that day, and it embodies our call on countries across the globe to exert maximum pressure on Hamas to bring the hostages home.”
The mural was created by the artist “Tank,” who goes by the name he earned painting graffiti for the MSK Crew.
“Art has a way of uniting people even during conflicts,” he noted. “Showing the faces of hostages reminds everyone that we’re all equal and that harming others is wrong. It highlights the value of every human life and the need to avoid violence.”
The mural spans 120 feet in length and 22 feet in height, and it features seven mirrors.
“By using mirrors on the ground floor, we want each person to truly imagine what it would be like to be kidnapped by terrorists,” Artists 4 Israel CEO Craig Dershowitz commented. “As you walk by, you will see yourself in the frame, see your face among the hostages. Maybe that empathy will help people stop tearing down these posters and start tearing down antisemitism.”
Ari Mark, CEO of Ample Entertainment, who offered the space for the mural said, “This isn’t a political stand, it’s a moral one.”
In an Instagram post reflecting on her participation in the event, Atias said, “We must share our grief. Our pain. Cause then we find again the light. The lives in all of us. We are not alone. We have each other.”
Earlier on Wednesday, CAM hosted an interfaith breakfast with local Los Angeles area Muslim leaders. American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council (AMMWEC) Advisory Board member Soraya Deen and Deputy Consul General of Israel in Los Angeles Amit Mekel were among those who addressed the gathering.
Today, we unveiled the world’s largest mural poster, created with a new technique making it tear-resistant.
This is our response against those who deny Hamas’s crimes and attempt to justify the atrocities of October 7. pic.twitter.com/QaF7ghhyZl
— Sacha Roytman (@SachaRoytman) December 21, 2023
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