MEDIA RELEASE

Jewish Community Unveils “Bring Them Home Now” Billboard Off I-70 in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council unveiled a digital billboard off I-70 and Emerson Avenue today. The Jewish community aims to raise awareness about the over 100 hostages still being held in Gaza since Oct. 7. The location is a significant area near downtown and reaches millions of viewers each month.

“The hostages must remain at the forefront of any conversation surrounding the current conflict,” said Marc Swatez, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.

The billboard features Noa Argamani, a 26-year-old Israeli woman who was kidnapped from the Supernova Music Festival in the Negev desert where 360 people were killed. Argamani became the face of the hostage crisis after footage of her abduction by two terrorists was uploaded online by her kidnappers. Her mother, Liora Argamani, has terminal brain cancer and has launched a desperate campaign to bring her daughter home.

“Our aim with this campaign is to remind people that Hamas is still holding 100 Israelis hostage,” Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council Executive Director Jacob Markey said. “We must restore hope to their families and loved ones and bring them home now.”

The digital billboard will keep a record of how many days the hostages have been held in captivity. The billboard will remain up for at least 30 days. The billboard was paid for by significant donors within the Greater Indianapolis Jewish community.

This time last year, the Jewish community launched a local billboard campaign to combat the rising antisemitism, which featured the message “Indy has no place for Jew hate.” This response came on the heels of an alarming report that concluded half of Indy Jews have experienced hate. ADL Midwest reported the highest number of antisemitic incidents in 2021 since they started tracking in 1979.

Following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, there has been a 360 percent increase in antisemitic incidents across the United States.

Visit www.jewishindianapolis.org for more information about the Greater Indianapolis Jewish community.

 

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About the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis

The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis is the central philanthropic, planning and community relations organization of the Jewish community. The Federation and its agencies, in cooperation with the synagogues, function to promote the general welfare of the Jewish community and to ensure the creative survival and continuity of the Jewish people. The Federation community mission is grounded in a pluralistic understanding of the historical, moral and cultural values of Judaism.

 

About the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council

The Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is the public affairs, interfaith, and intergroup relations arm of the organized Jewish community. JCRC builds consensus on public affairs issues, and advocates on behalf of the Indiana Jewish community by building relationships and partnerships with civic leaders, public officials, and other faith & ethnic communities.