Newton community unites to rebuild memorial hostage wall that was vandalized

A hostage memorial wall was rebuilt in Newton, Massachusetts, on Sunday, as the community came together to fight anti-Semitism.

The posters with the names and photos of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas that were allegedly defaced and damaged by vandals last month are now back up and on full display.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a happy event but we want to be upbeat, that we are all here together, we stand together, stand against anti-Semitism," homeowner Jeff Kosowsky said.

Kosowsky and his family had built the hostage wall on their private property in Newton after Hamas invaded Israel in October. He wanted to do something to honor the kidnapped men and women, and he doesn’t understand why anyone defaced the tribute to the innocent.

“I don’t know how you could look at a hundred faces and just wipe them out, how any human could do that no matter what your politics,” he said.

Now, the community has come together to rebuild the wall.

“I think it’s really important to show the faces of the hostages because they’re innocent people who are victims of terror and who were living regular lives just like you and me," said Boston University student Ben Spira who knows Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the hostages.

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“Hersh is unlike anyone you’ve ever met in your entire life” Spira said. "He’s very respectful and he's very selfless, he's not a guy who cares a lot about material things, but he's very genuine, and just wants to have a lot of fun.”

Community leaders hope the wall inspires other families to build similar tributes. Newton has been hit hard by anti-Semitic incidents in the last few months, with nearly 10 different crimes taking place, including rocks through windows where pro-Israel signs were displayed.

“We’re here to remind our community and the world that the hostages need to be front and center and that this isn’t just a Jewish story, it’s a human story,” said Marc Baker, CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies.

Newton police told NBC10 Boston on Sunday that no arrests have been made in this incident so far. They haven’t located any usable surveillance video either that could help in their investigation.