Nine foot milk carton, which includes photos of U.S. hostages, now on display in West Orange.

On Sunday, May 26, at B’nai Shalom in West Orange, more than 350 people gathered for the unveiling of a supersized milk carton to raise awareness for the hostages, including eight Americans, who remain kidnapped by Hamas terrorists since October 7. The event, which commemorated both Memorial Day and Lag B’Omer, was sponsored by the MetroWest Israel Action Committee and Skyframe. The display will move throughout various locations in the area until the hostages are safely returned home.

In addition to the unveiling of the nine foot, 300 lb milk carton now displayed near the main thoroughfare of Pleasant Valley Way, the event also included a reading of the names of the hostages, a bonfire where attendees sang songs of prayer and peace, and a children’s “world of good” fair, where kids were able to participate in mitzvot in the merit of the release of the hostages.

The carton installation includes an image of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the 45 U.S. citizens kidnapped on October 7. Of those, eight are still being held hostage, including Hersh. Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s mother, an outspoken advocate for the hostages, sent a brief emotionally stirring video to the crowd. In her video, which aired along with brief video messages from families of other hostages, she made the point that these hostages are not all Jewish and come from 25 countries.

Moshe Glick, co-founder of the MetroWest Israel Action Committee and one of the event organizers, remarked, “As a kid, I recall eating my bowl of Cocoa Puffs for breakfast, looking at the missing persons pictured on the side of the milk carton, and its profound impact on me. We are hoping this campaign on behalf of the hostages will bring the world’s attention back to their plight.

“It’s Memorial Day, and the attack against Israel is an attack against the U.S., and an attack against humanity,” he continued. “How can we leave the plight of eight innocent U.S. citizens in the hands of brutal terrorists? It has been more than 230 days since the hostages, including children, mothers and fathers, the injured, and the elderly are being held under unimaginable conditions in Gaza. At the same time, Hamas is demanding that Israel release the terrorists, baby killers, rapists and other heinous individuals, who perpetrated the Oct 7 attacks.”

The brutalities that the female hostages are facing have recently become more public, as family members of female soldiers released videos of their abduction by the terrorists on October 7. The graphic videos contain highly disturbing scenes of the women, who appeared bloodied and traumatized by Hamas terrorists.

Glick added, “To top that, many are pushing Israel for a ceasefire. No one wants to see the death of any innocent person, whether it’s a Palestinian, Israel Arab or Israeli Jew. And that’s why Israel’s military campaign is taking so long, as Hamas is using people as human shields.”

The members of the MetroWest Israel Action Committee who spearheaded this event are Howard Blank, Josh Commer, Cindi Dresdner, Moshe Glick, Renee Glick, Chaim Goldman, Barbara Listhaus and Larry Rein.

After the heroic rescue last Shabbat of four hostages, there are now 120 individuals, including children, women, the injured and elderly, among others, still being held hostage in Gaza since October 7. On that day, 1,300 innocent civilians were brutally murdered, raped, tortured and taken hostage.

If you have questions or would like additional information about this project, contact [email protected]