They have become symbols of animosity.
Following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, anti-Israel demonstrators and leftist activists in New York City who removed “kidnapped” Israeli hostage flyers are now featured in a new documentary.
In the days and weeks after the horrific assault that resulted in 1,200 casualties and 251 hostages, the distinctive posters representing each individual held captive in Gaza – ranging from 9-month-old Kfir Bibas to 85-year-old Shlomo Mantzur – began to appear in public spaces, becoming a contentious point of discussion.
The ongoing strife inspired Israeli filmmaker Nim Shapira to explore the stark divisions in “Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets.”
“I felt a sense of pride when the posters went up in my city,” shared Shapira, a resident of Brooklyn for over a decade. “Then I began to see them being taken down – and I recognized each location.”
“It was genuinely painful.”
This trend has revealed a disturbing reality.
“This represents the deepest level of antisemitism. It’s a profound expression of inhumanity,” Rabbi Joseph Potasnik remarked to The Post in 2023. “I cannot fathom such depths of hate.”
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The 75-minute documentary, filmed in the early months of the Gaza conflict, showcases perspectives from activists, families of hostages, and artists attempting to comprehend the proxy war occurring far from their shores.
Currently, it is available for streaming on torn-film.com and will be featured in private screenings across New York throughout November.
Torn was highlighted in a special segment under the Oscars’ “Academy Conversations,” exploring the intentions of individuals involved in creating and removing these posters.
“This film discusses whose sorrow is recognized in public spaces,” noted Shapira.
Confrontations on the streets of New York were often intense, with accusations of genocide directed at those who opposed the uproarious crowd that gleefully destroyed the posters.
Some of these confrontations were recorded and shared on social media, including an incident with a staff member of Mayor Eric Adams who was tasked with promoting diversity, and a young woman caught in 2023 who later found herself employed in Assemblyman Zohran Mamandi’s office, resulting in public backlash and job terminations.
Liam Zeitchik, a New Yorker with six abducted family members, expressed in the film, “Spotting these posters around was immensely significant to me; it showed that others cared about them.”
However, his bond with his fellow New Yorkers was short-lived.
After Zeitchik placed a poster of his 5-year-old niece, Emma Aloni, shortly after the attack, he encountered harsh criticism from a provocateur, who remarked: “She resembles a white colonizer.”
For Shapira, this instance illustrates the urgent need for introspection.
“The tearing of the posters signified the disruption of New York’s social fabric,” asserted the director, as the second anniversary of October 7 approaches. “We must find ways to coexist.”
