NYC Jewish community inaugurates ‘Hostages Bench’ in Central Park
A new Central Park bench honors the hostages taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, unveiled by New York’s Jewish community on April 19.
The Jewish World
1
mins read time
Originally published at
The Jewish World
A placard on the “Hostages Bench” in Central Park, New York, dedicated in an event on April 19, 2026, to the hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, Photo courtesy of Alon Kaplun.
Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday, April 19, for an unveiling of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south.
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.
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.
Originally published at
The Jewish World
NYC Jewish community inaugurates ‘Hostages Bench’ in Central Park
A new Central Park bench honors the hostages taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, unveiled by New York’s Jewish community on April 19.
The Jewish World
1
mins read time
Originally published at
The Jewish World
A placard on the “Hostages Bench” in Central Park, New York, dedicated in an event on April 19, 2026, to the hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, Photo courtesy of Alon Kaplun.
Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday, April 19, for an unveiling of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south.
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.
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.
Originally published at
The Jewish World
NYC Jewish community inaugurates ‘Hostages Bench’ in Central Park
A new Central Park bench honors the hostages taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, unveiled by New York’s Jewish community on April 19.
The Jewish World
1
mins read time
Originally published at
The Jewish World
A placard on the “Hostages Bench” in Central Park, New York, dedicated in an event on April 19, 2026, to the hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, Photo courtesy of Alon Kaplun.
Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday, April 19, for an unveiling of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south.
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.
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.
Originally published at
The Jewish World
NYC Jewish community inaugurates ‘Hostages Bench’ in Central Park
A new Central Park bench honors the hostages taken into Gaza on Oct. 7, unveiled by New York’s Jewish community on April 19.
The Jewish World
1
mins read time
Originally published at
The Jewish World
A placard on the “Hostages Bench” in Central Park, New York, dedicated in an event on April 19, 2026, to the hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, Photo courtesy of Alon Kaplun.
Members of the Jewish community in New York City gathered on Sunday, April 19, for an unveiling of a bench in Central Park commemorating the hostages kidnapped into Gaza during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel’s south.
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.
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.
Originally published at
The Jewish World
Related News
World
Israel & Middle East
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy honors Sharansky in Kyiv
Zelenskyy awarded Sharansky Ukraine’s Order of Merit for his Holocaust memory and outreach work.
Canaan Lidor
September 2, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Survivor pens open letter to students
A 98-year-old Holocaust survivor’s open letter urges Jewish students returning to campus to stand proudly and never let hatred define them.
JNS
September 1, 2026
World
U.S. / National
‘Felt like a lynch mob,’ a mom says of NYC-funded fest, in which performer accuses Israel of ‘war crimes’
A Brooklyn mom says a City-funded NYC puppet festival turned into anti-Israel protest theater mid-show, leaving her family shaken.
Debra Nussbaum Cohen
August 27, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy honors Sharansky in Kyiv
Zelenskyy awarded Sharansky Ukraine’s Order of Merit for his Holocaust memory and outreach work.
Canaan Lidor
September 2, 2026
World
Israel & Middle East
Survivor pens open letter to students
A 98-year-old Holocaust survivor’s open letter urges Jewish students returning to campus to stand proudly and never let hatred define them.
JNS
September 1, 2026
World
U.S. / National
‘Felt like a lynch mob,’ a mom says of NYC-funded fest, in which performer accuses Israel of ‘war crimes’
A Brooklyn mom says a City-funded NYC puppet festival turned into anti-Israel protest theater mid-show, leaving her family shaken.
Debra Nussbaum Cohen
August 27, 2026
World
Personal Stories
Jacqueline Meents-Lenstra hid Efraim Kochba as her own son in Nazi-occupied Holland
Jacqueline Meents-Lenstra hid a Jewish baby as her own during the Holocaust. Decades later, Yad Vashem honored her heroism.
Etgar Lefkovits
August 26, 2026
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios
© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
Designed and Developed by Ta-Da Studios