The flag display commemorates lives lost in the Oct. 7 attack. The light display projected images of hostages taken by Hamas. (photo by Edwin Folven)

A project titled “Wall of Awareness,” organized by two Hollywood producers, showed photos of the hostages taken by Hamas in the attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and phrases such as “Bring Them Home Now.” It was projected prominently in viewing distance from the Vanity Fair Oscars after party on the night of Sunday, March 10, and early morning of March 11. The annual Vanity Fair party was held across the street at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, and was attended by many of Hollywood’s A-list celebrities.

The display was organized by Matti Leshem and Lynn Harris, a producing duo that has worked on films such as “The Survivor,” “Hocus Pocus 2” and “King Richard.” They planned the project together with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group started by the families of the hostages taken by Hamas.

“On the evening of the Academy Awards, as the entire world turns its eyes to Hollywood, the entertainment industry has a responsibility to speak out on behalf of the 144 people – men, women and children – who are being held captive in horrific conditions by Hamas,” Leshem said in a press release. “This display will remind our colleagues in the entertainment industry about this tragedy, and encourage them to demand that Hamas release the hostages now.”

The Beverly Hills City Council unanimously voted to approve a special event permit to project the images on the side of a building at 499 N. Cannon Drive in a special meeting on March 8.

The council also voted unanimously to reinstall the flag display in Beverly Gardens Park to commemorate the victims killed in the Oct. 7 attack. The flag reinstallation went up on March 9 and cost approximately $150,000.

Beverly Hills City Manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey presented the project to the City Council on March 8.

“It’s important to point out that this City Council has steadfastly supported Israel and fought antisemitism for many years,” Hunt-Coffey said at the beginning of the meeting. She outlined both the lighting project and flag display and their potential impacts on the city.

During the meeting, many residents and members of the public called in or spoke in person to express their support for the request in public comments. The special meeting was well-attended by residents who applauded the council for its support.

“Getting our residents and various people from the community to come out shows how important this is not only for the community but also for us as a council,” Councilwoman Sharona Nazarian said. “I don’t think you can find a single one of us sitting up here who is not in strong support of Israel and supporting the release of the hostages.”

The approval was made during a special meeting following a submission originally rejected by city staff, citing failure to meet the required timeline of submission.

City code requires special event permits to be requested a minimum of 10 days prior to the date of the event, and this special event permit was officially filed on March 5, five days before the proposed event on March 10, according to Hunt-Coffey.

However, Leshem and Harris argued that they did not submit an application sooner because they anticipated a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, and submitted the request as soon as they learned the deal fell through. Additionally, the city was made aware of the possibility of the event on Feb. 20, which Hunt-Coffey suggested could be considered a “pre-application.”

“I’m not sure that I agree with any of the interpretations,” City Attorney Laurence Wiener said. However, he laid out several ways in which the city could defend its decision under legal scrutiny, including the initial email sent on Feb. 20 or the fact that the event would bring an “overriding benefit” to the city.

Councilwoman Lili Bosse stated that she was made aware of the possibility of the event earlier, on Feb. 14, and expressed her ardent support for the project.

“I don’t view this in any way as a breach of the code whatsoever,” Bosse said. “I think they were well ahead of their schedule … This is necessary for Beverly Hills, and I will not leave this room until we support this.”

Council members highlighted the importance of the event for the Jewish community throughout Beverly Hills.

“I think this is extremely important for us to do,” Councilman John Mirisch said. “Those 1,400 souls are gone and they will never come back. This is our way of coming together, grieving as a community, reminding ourselves and not allowing ourselves to forget. The very act of remembering is so crucial to who we are as Jews and people.”

In the March 8 City Council meeting, Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark Stainbrook said the installations could bring challenges to the Beverly Hills Police Department. Stainbrook’s concerns proved to be warranted, as a protest occurred near the Vanity Fair party on March 10 involving a criminal battery report.

“There were two groups of demonstrators – pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian,” BHPD Lt. Andrew Myers said. “During the demonstration, unknown persons used bear spray against another demonstrator.”

Myers said it is not clear who this person was or which side of the demonstration they were on, but said a battery report was taken. In response to the incident, the BHPD declared an unlawful assembly and ordered that the area be cleared. According to Myers, the demonstrators quickly dispersed.

“The demonstration lasted less than one hour,” Myers said.

Myers said no arrests have been made at this time. About 1,000 demonstrators gathered to call for a ceasefire in Gaza near the Dolby Theater in Hollywood and reportedly delayed the start of the Academy Awards Ceremony on March 10.