Four street signs in Beverly Gardens Park will be temporarily renamed in honor of victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. (photo by Tabor Brewster)

The Beverly Hills City Council on Aug. 20 unanimously voted to temporarily reinstall 1,400 flags and rename four street signs in Beverly Gardens Park in honor of the victims of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel. From Sept. 30 until Oct. 14, the section of the park along Santa Monica Boulevard between North Canon Drive and North Crescent Drive will be transformed into “Oct. 7 Memorial Square.”

The display will be made up of many Israeli flags and flags from other countries representing each victim of the Oct. 7 attack, as well as the hostages taken by Hamas. The four street signs at the corners of North Canon Drive/Park Way, North Canon Drive/Santa Monica Boulevard, North Crescent Drive/Park Way and North Crescent Drive/Santa Monica Boulevard will be altered to read “October 7th Memorial Square” in blue text below each street name. The installation is also meant to coincide with the Jewish high holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

The city received one public comment in support of the square.

“I strongly urge the council to take action on this important matter. The horrific events of the Oct. 7 attack shocked the entire world. Our community is still reeling from the loss of so many Israeli-American citizens, among many other nationalities. It is crucial that we honor the memory of those lost and stand in solidarity with their loved ones. A memorial serves as more than a tribute, it provides a space for us to grieve together and show our support for one another,” a resident wrote.

The overall cost of the temporary memorial square is $73,808, with $19,400 going toward the flags, $900 for the signs, $47,616 for security and $6,792 for potential replacement flags if they are damaged or lost.

City staff recommended that two security guards patrol the temporary memorial on a 24-hour basis to prevent vandalism or more serious criminal activity. BHPD Chief Mark Stainbrook agreed with the staff recommendation and laid out the security concerns.

“When we first had the flags out we had at least 11 or 12 incidents where there was vandalism, protest issues and other things in or near or around the flags. It’s a safety issue to have one security guard there,” Stainbrook said. “Additionally, we’re going into a pretty contentious election season. We don’t really know what will happen with the UC [schools] in terms of protests… With those unknowns, I would recommend at this time to keep [the guards] at two.”

He added that the site will be monitored by drones and cameras through the Real Time Watch Center.

The city will host a dedication ceremony at the square at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the attack.