Jerusalem: a chair and a book in tribute to the hostages in the national library

In the sumptuous and brand new national library in Jerusalem, some 240 chairs are arranged in an arc. On each, the photo of an Israeli hostage and a book, supposed to correspond to him. On each chair sits the portrait of a hostage, a call for his release and a work which “reflects his personality, his hobbies, his links with his family or his occupation”, explains to AFP the director of the national library, Oren Weinberg.

Housing more than five million books and periodicals, as well as thousands of rare texts, the new library building, located opposite the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, opened its doors last month. But the planned week of festivities was canceled by the war between Israel and Hamas. “That was perhaps the least of our worries given what was happening around us,” admits the director.

When sirens sounded in Jerusalem that day, curators rushed to secure a collection of rare manuscripts on display for the inauguration. They are now in underground mechanized shelves, safe from possible strikes.

The facility has since digitally documented the October 7 attack, including survivors' testimonies, gathering images and videos. Staff also conducted interviews with the families of the hostages.

“It’s one thing to be able to collect testimonies,” explains Rachel Neiman, spokesperson for the library, to AFP. “It’s another thing to be able to organize them and preserve them and make them available to historians in the future.”

On the Israeli side, the Hamas attack left 1,200 dead, mainly civilians killed on October 7, according to the authorities. In retaliation, Israel bombs the Gaza Strip, where Hamas took power in 2007. More than 14,100 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war, according to the Hamas government.