Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday for an unveiling event of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south.
Today the Jewish community dedicated a bench in Central Park to the hostages of October 7, and to the those who came out for 120 Sundays in a row, rain or shine, to demand their release. We waved Israeli and American flags (and one lion and sun), sang, and had hella security. We… pic.twitter.com/HI3vz3wMPz
— Yael Bar tur (@yaelbt) April 19, 2026
The bench, named “Hostages Bench,” is also dedicated to those who fought to release the hostages, to those who lost their lives during the Hamas-led invasion into Israel and in the war that ensued since then, to the families of the hostages, and to those who survived captivity, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum’s U.S. Chapter said in a statement.
It is located near 106th Street and Central Park West.
Among those present were members of the hostages’ families: Moshe Lavi, brother-in-law of captivity survivor Omri Miran; Shelly Shem Tov, mother of captivity survivor Omer Shem Tov; and Morris Schneider, uncle of the late Shiri Bibas.
The NYC Hostage Families Forum gathered for the last time in Central Park and dedicated a bench to honor the hostages & the community which fought for them. Speeches by Shelly Shem Tov, @MarkLevineNYC, Hindy Poupko @UJAfedNY, @MosheELavi & Maurice Schneider, uncle of Shiri Bibas pic.twitter.com/2ZpGsrm5q5
— Gil Zussman (@gil_zussman) April 19, 2026
About 1,000 people attended the event, according to Ynet.
The ceremony included a reading of the names of all 46 hostages who were taken alive and killed in Hamas captivity.
Since the war started, all 251 hostages have returned home alive or for burial.
