West Bloomfield temple sets out 220 chairs to raise awareness about hostages held by Hamas

Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press
Updated ·2 min read
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Itzi Saar, of West Bloomfield, walks among the memorial for the Israeli hostages being held by Hamas erected near the Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield on Oct. 31, 2023. Saar, who says she is originally from Israel, is more frightened here with the growing antisemitism, but it makes her feel better knowing her husband is volunteering at the Sheba hospital in Tel Aviv as rehab specialist.

A West Bloomfield temple is calling attention to the hostages taken from Israel last month as American commandos reportedly prepare to help Israel identify them and Hamas pledges it will release more of them.

Temple Shir Shalom said it hopes that its dramatic visual statement — more than 200 empty, white, rented chairs covered in blue ribbon, the colors of the Israeli flag, on its lawn at Orchard Lake and Walnut Lake roads — will help raise some awareness.

"We put up on Sunday, 220 chairs to represent the hostages," said Brian Fishman, the temple’s executive director. "There are all sorts of displays that are going up similar to this all over the world, all over the country."

Brian Fishman, 55, executive director of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield Township, left, works with Stacy Cohen, and Ron Spencer, both with the Jewish Federation of Detroit to anchor a 30 foot banner on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 on the lawn of the Temple Shir Shalom. The banner commemorates the hostages taken by Hamas and demands they be released.

The displays are going up even as Hamas, a political and military organization, is releasing what the Washington Post called "disturbing, manipulative and revealing" hostage videos.

Fishman said the congregation wanted to take action, but it does not have a plan for how long the chairs, which Wednesday morning were coated with snow, will stay there — or how the city of West Bloomfield will react to the large signs it put up.

Steven Ingber, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, said the aim of the display is to keep the hostages "in all of our hearts and minds, and never the let world forget that their lives remain in the hands of Hamas terrorists."

More: Detroit City Council to consider resolution calling for cease-fire in Gaza

The exact number of hostages is unclear, ranging in news reports from 200 to 240.

Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,400 people and taking the hostages, only a handful of whom have been released. Israel vowed to retaliate. The death toll for both Israelis and Palestinians is now estimated at 10,000.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday seeking information about the number of Americans with ties to Michigan who are stuck in Gaza.

Brian Fishman, 55, executive director of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield Township, left, helps raise a 30 ft. banner in honor of the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza with the help of Stacy Cohen, 39, with the Jewish Federation of Detroit, and Ron Spencer, 57, also with the Jewish Federation of Detroit on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023 on the lawn of the Temple Shir Shalom.

She also wanted to know how the U.S. government plans to evacuate Americans and immediate family members as Israel moves farther into the region amid its ground offensive.

U.S. special forces are on the ground in Israel preparing to assist in identifying hostages, including Americans, the New York Times reported Tuesday a high-ranking defense official said.

And Al Jazeera, a Qatari government-owned Arabic-language news network, reported that Hamas has said it will "release some foreign hostages from Gaza in the coming days, without offering more specifics."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: West Bloomfield temple calls attention to hostages with empty chairs