Benjamin Mittman has family in Israel, but he is American. His grandfather planned to raise his family in the Jewish homeland, but he had to come to the United States for malaria treatment and never left. Even so, as a dedicated Jew, there is no place more special to Mittman than Israel.
Now, though, the country means something else to Mittman, as a relative of his — his cousin, Alon Ohel — is still being held captive by Hamas. Ohel’s family decided to do something to raise awareness for him, inspired by his love of music: They placed a yellow piano in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square with a sign that said, “You are not alone.”
The family’s idea made and is making waves across the world, as yellow pianos have popped up in New York, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Miami, Sydney and elsewhere. They serve as a visual reminder of the captives’ humanity, as well as an instrument that can be used to soothe the tensions around hostage demonstrations.
Now, one is coming to Philadelphia.
Mittman said that the yellow piano movement shows that any help at all makes a difference.
“We all have to do our part. Even if you can’t be on the ground, in the IDF or in the halls of Congress, we all have to talk about their plight to implement change,” he said. “I felt hopeless for so long, but we [can all contribute].”
The yellow piano event is being held at the Kaiserman JCC on Sunday, Feb. 23, from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
The event will feature performances of classic pieces by several musicians. It will also include remarks from the Ohel family, as well as greetings from various elected officials. It will raise awareness for the plight of the Ohel family and the rest of those who have loved ones in captivity.
“The night before the Supernova music festival, he was accepted to Israel’s most exclusive musical school,” Mittman said. “When he left for the festival, he left his piano cover open, and his mother kept it open because she said he is coming back to play the piano.”
From that decision grew an idea, Mittman said. Ohel’s parents decided that the piano could be a source of hope for more than just their family.
“She got the idea of putting a piano in Hostage Square decorated in yellow, which is the symbol of the hostages, but it’s also a symbol of light, energy and positivity,” he said.
The vibrant yellow paint brings a wonderful brightness to any room, but the music is even better. The program features performances of pieces like “Clair de Lune,” “Winterreise Op. 89” and “Prelude No. 1.”
As for who is playing, the list is headlined by Olga Borisovsky, who has performed professionally in Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Austria and Israel. She also plays as an accompanist at Main Line Reform Temple-Beth Elohim.
Matthew Fleisher will be on baritone. A professional opera singer with a renowned bass timbre, he has worked with the National Symphony Orchestra, Opera Philadelphia and Detroit Metro Opera. Violinist Yelena Podgorny and cellist and pianist Michal Schmidt will play as well.
“We have a few hostages who have been released back to their family and friends, but there’s a whole group that hasn’t. We still have frightening uncertainty about their status — there are hostages who weren’t [released], and we feel that it’s necessary to continue to have these yellow piano events to raise awareness for the overwhelming number of hostages that are still subject to uncertainty,” Mittman said.
What Mittman or any other loved one of Ohel knows about his whereabouts comes from videos captured by Hamas terrorists on the day of the massacre, as well as first-person accounts.
Ohel escaped the festival ground and found refuge in a roadside bomb shelter — the same one that Aner Shapira and Hersh Goldberg-Polin were in.
As they hid, more than a half-dozen grenades found their way into the shelter. Shapira, as many now know, managed to throw back all but one grenade. The final one exploded, killing him and others in the shelter.
“Then, the terrorists sprayed the inside of the shelter before managing to pull out living individuals, including my cousin,” Mittman said. “[A video] shows them grabbing him and throwing him in the back of an open-bed truck. He is alive, but that’s the last the family has heard of him.”
Since then, the family has heard nothing from their son, the terrorists or Israel.
Mittman said that many may not even realize how long his cousin and others have been prisoners.
“My cousin was 22 when he was taken captive. His second birthday in captivity is coming up on Feb. 10, so he’s currently 23 and will be turning 24 next Monday,” he said.
More information and sign-up are available at phillyjcc.com/event/yellowpiano.
