Naomi Gal lives in Toronto, Canada, far from the location of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack that killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 people taken hostage to Gaza.

Nevertheless, the mother of six, one of nine children herself and the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors, sought a way to connect herself to the bereaved, the hostages and their families.

On day 100 of the hostages’ captivity, she began drawing images of them and their families, using simple markers to quickly capture their features on paper. She also sketched what she was watching in news reports.

“It was super-speed drawing, every single day,” said Gal, a religious stay-at-home mother, who hadn’t spent much time creating art before October 7. “I draw in real time.”

She has now exhibited her work in Herzliya and will soon also display it in Barcelona, along with dozens of  speaking engagements to publicize her mammoth project.

The etchings are rough but realistic, featuring the names and faces of the hostages, many of whom have become household names in Israel.

The speed with which she does all of this is new to her, and she said she had not possessed that skill beforehand.

“It’s in honor of them, it’s in their merit,” said Gal, referring to the hostages and those killed.

Now, 20 months later, Gal has sketched thousands of images of those most affected by October 7, both the bereaved and the hostages, and their families. She tends to keep Israeli hours, not getting much sleep, relying on her husband to be her........

© The Times of Israel