Louisville’s Big Four Bridge was lit up in orange Wednesday night (Feb. 26) in honor of Ariel, Kfir and Shiri Bibas — who were slain by Hamas while being held captive in Gaza. The orange lighting referenced young sons Ariel and Kfir’s bright red hair. (Photo by Amanda Blieden)
Louisville’s Big Four Bridge was among numerous landmarks worldwide lit up in orange Wednesday night (Feb. 26) honoring members of the Bibas family slain by Hamas while being held hostage in Gaza. Read more below:
By Philissa Cramer
(JTA) — Landmarks around the world were illuminated in orange on Wednesday night to honor Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, the Israeli mother and sons killed in captivity in Gaza.
The three were buried on Wednesday, several days after their bodies were returned to Israel. Their husband and father, Yarden Bibas, was taken captive separately and freed this month. Their plight had been a symbol of national trauma since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking 250 hostages.
Among the landmarks illuminated in orange, the color that came to symbolize the family because of Ariel and Kfir’s bright red hair, were the Empire State Building in New York City, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, the Chain Bridge in Budapest and the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Thousands in Paris honored Shiri, Kfir, and Ariel Bibas with orange balloons by the Eiffel Tower. 🧡🇫🇷 #NeverForget #BringThemHome #ParisTribute #WeRemember #BibasFamily pic.twitter.com/If7QGL6VJ8
— Sanaya (@Sanaya10998) February 27, 2025
The displays were reminiscent of what happened in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack, when world landmarks were illuminated in blue and white to show solidarity with Israel.
In Argentina, where Shiri Bibas’ father grew up, tributes to the family have included a mass demonstration, two days of official national mourning and a vote by lawmakers to rename Buenos Aires’ Palestine Street as Bibas Family Street. Shiri Bibas’ parents, Margit and Yossi Silberman, were murdered on Oct. 7.