Center for Israel Studies Hosts Screening of “Torn” Documentary on NYC Hostage Posters

Yeshiva University’s Center for Israel Studies hosted a screening on Oct. 30 of the film “Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster War on NYC Streets,” an expository documentary examining the tearing down of Israeli hostage posters posted around New York City since Oct. 7, 2023.

Co-sponsored by YUPAC and the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program for International Affairs, the screening took place in the Belfer 218 auditorium and concluded with a panel discussion featuring director and producer Nim Shapira, Rabbi Yosef Blau, Provost Selma Botman and Elisha Fine, a featured speaker in the film.

The film showcased ten individuals, each sharing personal reflections connected to the hostage posters. Among them were relatives of hostages who recounted their families’ stories and individuals who were instrumental in creating, placing and maintaining the posters.

“Through the poster campaign that swept across New York streets—and several other cities around the world—the conflict in the Middle East was no longer distant,” Shapira noted in a statement on the film’s website that he shared with The Commentator. “In making this film, I wanted to capture more than just the headlines or political talking points. I aimed to reveal the personal stories, the intimate pain, and the ideological divides that arose in the wake of the poster campaign.”

Shapira describes his documentary as “a call for deeper empathy and introspection, urging audiences to confront uncomfortable truths and consider how we might begin the process of healing, both individually and as a global community.”

Following the screening, the panelists discussed the messages stemming from the film and its aim to convey the Jewish and Israeli perspective to non-Jewish audiences. Numerous individuals who have designed stickers and posters for the streets of New York City were also in attendance, and shared some of their artwork with students.

The event ignited an array of responses from the students in attendance. 

Talya Naggar (SCW ‘27) discussed her impression of the film with the Commentator, “I think it was unnecessarily political at times, but it did shine a light on the process of creating and distributing these posters which often people don’t think about.”

“Firstly, taking hostages as Hamas did is a violation of international law and a war crime. By tearing down the posters, you are not only taking away a critical tangible reminder of the hostages, but you are politicizing an issue of pure human rights,” Naggar said. “Furthermore, it is important to note that an estimated nine American citizens were taken hostage! This tragedy is one affecting fellow citizens. This is personal and this should feel personal.”

Bat-Tzion Atik (SCW ‘26), a vice president of YUPAC, spoke to The Commentator about the urgency of the hostages’ situation pointing out the growing danger the longer they are in captivity. “It’s important to draw attention to the fact that they are still not home and they are still in the hands of a terrorist organization,” Atik said.

“Across the globe, the ideological battle over Israel has raged on the streets, inside college campuses and on the flickering screens of millions of people. Yet the posters have proven to be an unlikely and poignant battleground for the humanity of the victims of the violence,” Professor Ronnie Perelis, director of the Rabbi Arthur Schneier Program shared with The Commentator. “This film by Nim Shapira told the story of the artists and activists behind the iconic posters with deep humanity and showed the complexity of the issues — students need to engage the war and its aftermath with nuance and sensitivity and the film does this. It challenges as it enlightens us.” 

“We were privileged to join the Schneier Program in learning through a nuanced perspective about the hostage poster fight here in New York City,” Shoshana Fisher (SCW ‘26), YUPAC co-president, told The Commentator. “Yeshiva University’s location puts it at the heart of the cultural center of the Western world, and when cultures clash we often have a front seat. In this instance we are not the observers, we are active participants in the fight for the world to remember the hostages. This documentary provided incredible insight into the culture clash we see in our very backyard here at YU, and opened our eyes to the multifaceted perspectives that contribute to the posters that pepper the city.”

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Photo Caption: YU’S Center for Israel Studies hosted a screening of the film “Torn.”

Photo Credit: Ezra Rosenfeld