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 Team
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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.
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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 Team
1
Published by
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
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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 Team
1
Published by
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
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 Team
1
Published by
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
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© 2026 The Jewish World · Since 1965 - The Capital Region's gateway to Jewish life
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© 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
