Graffiti as memorial: Benzi Brofman’s Tribute to the faces of October 7

It might be reasonable to think that “graffiti art” holds no value for those of us of a certain age and generation. Under normal circumstances, perhaps. But in Israel and for the Jewish people, these are not normal times, and miracles of creativity are bursting forth in unexpected ways.

The skills and talents of graffiti artists have been seen on walls worldwide, perhaps none quite as meaningful as those created by Israeli artist Benzi Brofman since October 7, 2023.

Bronfman attended the Supernova music festival on October 6 and asked his wife to join him. She declined and asked him not to go. She told her husband that she did not feel “it was safe.” When he considered staying at the festival overnight, she implored him to come home. He did, and missed the horrific slaughter that ensued only hours later.

This clearly was a life-changing experience. Bronfman took his skills and put them to work for the world to see. While posters of photos of the hostages taken by Hamas from the festival were posted around the world, and some tore them down, Bronfman had a solution. He began painting their images on massive walls, many in Europe. No one was going to pull these down.

His current exhibit at the StandWithUs (SWU) educational center off of King David Street in Jerusalem is titled Faces of October 7th. Bronfman met with many of the families of the young people murdered, and they shared the photograph of their loved one that they felt captured their spirit. 

Helping the hostage families where he can

He, in turn, painted their faces with techniques that only a graffiti artist can master and returned the large paintings to the families as his gift to them. In at least one home, he was invited to paint the portrait on an empty wall in their home as a surprise for the parents still grieving.

The families who were gifted these portraits have loaned them to the SWU organization for this exhibit. Many of them attended the solemn and moving opening ceremony the night before the exhibit opened to the public.

It is not possible to describe how this artist captures the spirit and essence of each person, now lost to us forever. And yet he does. There is something ethereal about his style of painting. The process of spraying much of the paint produces an effect that cannot be attained with a brush.

The exhibit runs for six weeks, ending on October 30. Reservations are required.

More information and a “peek preview” can be seen at www.standwithus.com/facesofoctober7.