'Hostage Square Chicago' exhibit on Near West Side highlights hostages still held by Hamas after Oct. 7 attack

CHICAGO (WLS) — An exhibit unveiled by the Israeli-American Council, titled Hostage Square Chicago, honors the victims of the October 7 attack and the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.

The oversized images of American citizens, their names under their photos, plastered on large milk cartons as if part of a missing persons campaign, were shocking.

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“For me, walking in here today is completely surreal. That’s my son on that milk carton. I haven’t seen or heard from him in 319 days,” said Orna Neutra, whose son Omer has been missing since the Oct. 7 attack.

This large, one-day art installation on the Near West Side aims to draw attention to the hostages still being held by Hamas.

“We have commissioned artwork all around us that represents the plight of these hostages,” said Elan Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council.

“Hostage Square Chicago” echoes Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, considered the epicenter of the mobilization around the current hostage crisis.

“We show the faces of these Americans and demand that Hamas let them go,” Carr said.

The images are raw and heartbreaking. The artists who participated in the exhibition have personal connections to the war in Gaza.

Artist Erik “Smutz” Rutzick drew each missing person in a matter of minutes, capturing the need to preserve and share their images, and illustrating the need for their release.

“That's the whole concept: We don't have time to get them out before their memory and themselves are gone,” he said.

Orna and Ronen Neutra stood next to a photo of their 22-year-old son, who is still missing.

“We hope this message is clear: these eight Americans, their faces and their names are people we care about, regardless of their political beliefs. This is a humanitarian issue and we ask everyone around us to support us,” said Ronen Neutra.