As Israeli hostages near 18 months in captivity, artist’s hand-drawn postcards offer a symbol of hope
Every day since Hamas terror attacks, Zeev Engelmayer draws a postcard to bring hope to the people of Israel.
TEL AVIV — It’s a well-established routine.
Every day, Zeev Engelmayer takes a seat at his bay window overlooking his backyard in central Tel Aviv. His mission? Fighting despair with an army of colorful markers in a bid to bring hope to the people of Israel.
For the past 18 months since the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, he has drawn a daily postcard, many featuring Israeli hostages. Some have been turned into banners, T-shirts and profile pictures on social media and have been embraced by the families of those taken captive. One even made its way to Pope Francis.
Although the subject matter is often dark, the postcards are for the most part colorful and innocent. “I use a child’s style because a child has the ability to have hope even in times that are very difficult,” he told NBC News in February.
A postcard imagining elderly Israeli hostage Yaffa Adar being returned to her family. NBC NewsIn the first two weeks after the Hamas attacks, Engelmayer said he drew in black and white to reflect the deep sadness he felt about the attacks on Israel, which saw 1,200 people killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli authorities. He said his first piece paid homage to “Guernica,” the 1937 anti-war masterpiece by renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso.
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