CHICAGO, Illinois — A pro-Israel group that was denied a permit to march during the Democratic National Convention gathered in a makeshift “Hostage Square” in the West Loop on Tuesday to make their voices heard.
The original “Hostage Square” is front of an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel, and was given that name after it became a gathering place for the families of kidnapped and missing Israelis in the wake of the Hamas terror attack of October 7.
Like its namesake in Israel, the “Hostage Square” in Chicago features art installations that draw attention to the victims of Hamas — in particular, to U.S. citizens who were murdered or taken hostage. Five American hostages remain: Keith Siegel, 65, Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35, Omer Neutra, 22, Edan Alexander, 20, and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23.
One art project, by Israeli designer Neil Salti, is a tree that honors the 403 victims of the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival. Visitors were invited to contribute by writing messages, or the names of victims, on rocks nearby.
Orly Birnbaum, of Tel Aviv, Israel, writes the name of a friend who was murdered at the Nova Music Festival, contributing to Neil Salti’s Tree of Remembrance at “Hostage Square,” outside the Democratic National Convention, Chicago, Illinois, August 20, 2024. (Joel Pollak / Breitbart News)
Salti told Breitbart News that he lost 25 friends at Nova who were DJs or art designers for the festival. His tree included a rope around the trunk, like the ropes found onsite, which were thought to have been used on rape victims.
His girlfriend, Orly Birnbaum, said that one of her friends, Karla, was burned so badly at the festival site that she was only identified using dental records.
Other art projects focused on hope persisting, despite the horror.
Andrea Weinstein, the younger sister of Judih Weinstein, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz who was murdered with her husband, Gadi Haggai, told reporters that she had come to visit Hostage Square without knowing that her sister’s photograph would be prominently displayed.
She told the story of how her sister and her brother-in-law, who loved to drink espresso and take a walk outdoors each morning, were murdered by Hamas terrorists while on a morning stroll.
Weinstein told Breitbart News that she was deeply grateful to the Biden administration, whom she said were working to achieve a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas “24/7.”
Yet neither she nor any other relatives of the hostages have been told that they will be speaking onstage at the convention. (The Republican National Convention last month in Milwaukee featured Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, during a prime-time speaking slot.)
The Democratic convention has reportedly downplayed the role of Jewish or pro-Israel speakers, given the tensions within the party over the war in Gaza.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched on the convention site on Monday, and presidential nominee Kamala Harris has been eager to appease them — though often in secret. President Joe Biden told the convention Monday that the protesters — who included Hamas supporters — “have a point.” He did not mention the word “Israel” in his entire speech. (The Republican Jewish Coalition has promised to plant 1,800 trees in Israel for every speaker at the Democratic convention who praises Israel. On Day One, there were no takers.)
Amid the political struggles, “Hostage Square” became a refuge for pro-Israel activists, many of whom have felt beseiged by the presence of dozens of pro-Palestinian groups at the convention. These were given permits by the City of Chicago for a march, while pro-Israel groups were not. (A Christian-led pro-Israel counterprotest Monday stayed on the sidewalk, marching around the perimeter of a pro-Palestinian rally.)
“Hostage Square” is the only pro-Israel event near the convention — and fears of antisemitic attacks are high enough that the location was not publicized.
Unlike the one in Israel, this “Hostage Square” will only last a day. But organizers hope that it will, at least, provide some hope to a Jewish community that has been traumatized by events in Israel, by the explosion of antisemitism in America, and by the ambivalence of the Democratic Party and its leadership as they court a new, hostile constituency.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of “”The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days,” available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
