By Amelie Botbol
This represents closing a circle — coping and understanding what new direction to take,” said Moran Stella Yanai, a former Hamas hostage, at the 07SH10AH23 art exhibition in Tel Aviv on May 7.
Last year, Yanai spoke in the Mountain West, including at BMH-BJ, which the IJN covered.
Yanai was attending the Nova music festival as a jewelry vendor on Oct. 7, 2023 when she was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.
She spent 54 days in captivity in the Gaza Strip, during which she was moved between seven heavily guarded locations under constant surveillance.
She endured limited access to food and water and was required to ask permission to use the bathroom.
Her family discovered she had been taken when her 12-year-old niece spotted a video of her pleading on Tik Tok for her life.
Yanai was released in November, 2023.
“I came to Nova as a vendor. I had so many dreams — it was my first time opening my jewelry shop,” Yanai said, standing beside her exhibit: a table covered with jewelry crafted from materials recovered from her original booth at the festival.
“What you see here is what people found in the field days after the attack. It’s made from the dust and leaves of Nova.”
It took her a long time to work with the recovered items due to the emotional weight they carried.
“Every time I look at it, I remember who I was that night — an hour before it started. I had concerns. I felt something was going to happen. So many memories come with it.”
Yanai’s installation also includes photographs, one depicting a young girl holding a yellow balloon. “It captures my emotions from inside captivity — my greatest fears, the hope that helped me hold on, the belief that beyond the darkness there is a way out.”
The photo series has grown in meaning, especially as hostages remain in Gaza. “This is my fear — that they won’t come out, or that we’ll have new Ron Arads,” she said, referencing the Israeli airman missing in Lebanon since 1986.
The 07SH10AH23 exhibit opened on April 24 — Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel — as a national reflection on the trauma following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, which left some 1,200 dead. The name of the exhibit reflects the date of the massacre.
The show features 24 artists and is curated by Simon Durban, a British cultural figure and former business manager of street artist Banksy.
Alongside Yanai’s display is work by Ariela Wertheimer, inspired by the food-based ‘HELP’ sign created by hostages Yotam Haim, Samar Talalka and Alon Shamriz, who escaped Hamas captivity in Gaza only to be mistakenly killed by IDF troops.
“My exhibit is about growth,” Wertheimer said on May 7. “It was made from spices, fruits and vegetables. I extracted the colors from them. When I first created these pieces, they were very colorful.”
Upon arriving at the exhibit, Wertheimer was surprised to see that the colors had faded.
“It took me a moment. As we spoke about trauma, I realized — even for us, the color has faded this year.”
Her message:
“We need to remember what compassion is — to look at the world more gently. The evil exists in everything, from how people speak to how they interact. The most important thing is for people to be good. We can disagree, but we must respect one another.”
Wertheimer also participated in the Art as Testimony: Creation Between Trauma and Healing panel discussion, alongside Yanai, Jonathan Cuperman and Matan Sacofsky, and moderated by Dr. Tal Patalon.
Sacofsky, a tank commander in the 10th Harel Reserve Armored Brigade’s 360th Battalion, created his piece from spent bullet casings.
“I had the idea to collect these casings and bring them to my studio,” he said. “It’s very different from my usual work, but I wanted to reflect and express my experience in a visual way.”
Sacofsky fought in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Oct. 7 and spent approximately 250 days on reserve duty during the current war.
“What I really want is for people to stand here and feel something powerful — something that pushes them into their own thoughts about war,” he said.
“Some who’ve had similar experiences told me it triggered something in them, each in a different way. That’s the point — provoking personal reflection.”
