\nSpeaking with Rega<\/em>NEWS<\/em>, Uri described how the emotional initiative came to be:
\n“On October 7, I evacuated from Kibbutz Kfar Giladi. I was supposed to start studying social work at Tel Hai College, but classes were postponed. I used that time to join civilian initiatives supporting soldiers, raising awareness about the hostages, and helping bereaved families.<\/p>\n
One of my close friends is Ilay David. His brother, Evyatar David, is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. At the beginning of the war, I suggested doing a graffiti mural for his brother. He told me, \u2018Sure, I\u2019d be glad to do it, but let\u2019s do it legally\u2014we need permission from the municipality.\u2019 That conversation sparked the whole idea.”<\/p>\n Why graffiti?<\/strong> The first mural<\/strong> In the heart of the city, the faces of Evyatar David and Guy Galboah Dalal\u2014both from Kfar Saba\u2014were painted, along with Hadar Goldin and Oz Daniel, who were killed and abducted, and brothers Eitan and Yair Horn, kidnapped from Nir Oz. One of the brothers had also grown up in Kfar Saba. It\u2019s worth noting that Yair Horn was returned to Israel as part of the ceasefire and hostage release deal this past February.<\/p>\n From one wall to a national project<\/strong><\/p>\n “Once I saw the project achieving its goal\u2014how the public connected with it and was emotionally moved\u2014I decided to expand it to other places,” Elman recounts. Since then, he has contacted dozens of families and helped create murals in cities like Jerusalem, Holon, Dimona, and Kiryat Malachi\u2014where today (Tuesday) a portrait of hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana was unveiled.<\/p>\n All of Israel<\/strong> Fame forced on the most modest people<\/strong> “For almost two years now, I\u2019ve seen how their lives have changed. How this event has affected all of us. The grief, the depression, the pain of loss. The wounded, the evacuees, the businesses that were hurt. So many people in Israel now find themselves in a place they weren\u2019t before\u2014sitting at home, but no longer feeling safe,” Uri shares.<\/p>\n And what will happen to the murals when the hostages return?<\/strong> Behind the graffiti walls spreading across Israeli cities with the faces of the hostages stands one man who doesn\u2019t paint at all. In a conversation with “RegaNEWS,” he shared how the moving initiative came to life\u2014and what will happen to the portraits once the hostages return home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":23774,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,2276,85,88,6],"tags":[2728,5852,5851,5853,5850,5849,4521,5848],"class_list":["post-23772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-idf","category-people","category-positive-moment","category-will-remember","category-security","tag-agam-berger","tag-graffiti-walls","tag-hamas-hostage-crisis","tag-hostage-awareness-campaigns","tag-israeli-civil-initiatives","tag-public-art","tag-the-hostages","tag-yair-horn"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/2-139-1024x668.webp\")
\nThe choice to use graffiti to raise awareness wasn\u2019t obvious. Uri explains that he saw it as an act that connects the street, the people, and the hostages. But that\u2019s not the only reason he chose it:
\n“Graffiti lasts. It\u2019s not a poster that can be torn down, or a flag that fades in the weather. It\u2019s a powerful, enduring symbol that delivers the message clearly and boldly.”<\/p>\n
\nIlay suggested that the mural feature all the hostages from their city, and Uri took up the challenge. He contacted the families and the municipality, and pushed the complex process forward. He found an artist, and the wall transformed from an idea into reality.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/3-85.webp\")
\nEach mural project takes around two to three months to complete, but the emotional reactions they spark last far longer:
\n“The responses from the public are incredible. Elderly women stop with walkers and canes, stare, pray, and say deeply moving things. Little children look up at the murals. Everyone\u2014across Israel. You realize just how badly they want the hostages to come home. It\u2019s not just a figure of speech\u2014you can actually see it in their expressions, in the glimmer in their eyes, how much they truly want the hostages to return.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-29-1024x768.webp\")
\n“The families are incredibly moved. You can\u2019t believe how modest they are. They\u2019ve been through the most horrific experience\u2014and now they\u2019re being forced into the public eye, having to take on roles so far removed from their natural humility.”
\nDealing with such a sensitive subject also brings emotional challenges:
\n“I especially remember when we made a wall for Agam Berger. A week later, she was supposed to be released\u2014and then it turned out she had to remain in Hamas captivity for another week.”<\/p>\n
\nDespite all the work poured into the street murals, Uri says his biggest hope is actually to erase them:
\n“Preserving them is the least of my concerns. These are painted on removable walls\u2014and nothing would be more moving than taking them down. The whole point of the project is to raise awareness. Once everyone comes home, its mission will be complete.
\nIt would be a huge joy to remove them. What I\u2019d love most is for people to continue supporting one another and to truly push for the hostages\u2019 release. I honestly feel\u2014and this is no slogan\u2014I\u2019ll only feel like myself again once they return.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/5-10-1024x768.webp\")