A community in Great Neck, home to one of the largest Jewish populations on Long Island, hung more than 200 posters of Israeli hostages on a building only to find it torn down overnight.
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The posters, which are scattered all over the city as part of a global campaign called "Kidnapped in Israel," were torn down and an Israeli flag taken, leaving a group of teenagers from the community determined to put everything back up.
"As I was putting up, I really was feeling as if it was my brother or sister or mother or father," said 17-year-old Jeremy Golub.
"We posted all of the pictures of the hostages that are kidnapped right now in Gaza from Israel," said another volunteer, 17-year-old Evan Elyahou.
Elyahou, whose dad owns the commercial building that hosts the posters, says he and his friends from North Shore Hebrew Academy High School hung the posters along the now vacant gym storefront last night only to find them removed on his way to school Wednesday morning.
"This morning, on my way to school, I saw that around 7 a.m., that they were all torn down," he said.
"It's truly depressing," said Golub. "I feel that it's horrible."
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Evan says it's a constant reminder of fear.
"The other day in the city, about a week ago, I was walking around, and I had a kippah on and someone just spat at my foot because I was Jewish," said Elyahou.
"We're going to leave the pieces here to show that it doesn't stop us, even though that they're taking off the rest of it," said Golub about the posters.
The move by the teens inspired complete strangers to take part.
"Indians have experienced terrorism, the same thing that Israel is experiencing right now so we stand with them in solidarity," said one Manan Dhawan.
Evan filed a police report for the incident.
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Though there were cameras up at the location, they weren't rolling.
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