So the World Would See

“Hi my name isDeanna. I am an artist and I’ve been referred to you by the Israel Association of Terror Victims” is how American artistDeannaSperka introduced herself to the family over the phone. “I’m working on an exhibit that commemorates victims of terror attacks. My aim is to make the American public and American policy makers aware of what is truly going on here in Israel.”  When she knocked on the door of the house that October 1993 the family knew what to expect. Ushering her in as their ambassador of grief they showed her photos of their beloved son a young Israeli whose only crime had been to go hiking with his friend in Wadi Kelt. Both had come under Arab fire in a brutal terror attack. The mourners spoke freely to the camera about their loss whileDeanna remained respectfully in the background holding her silence. For them this meeting was almost cathartic while forDeanna it was a means to an idealistic end. From this gut-wrenching interview and countless others like it she would go on to create a showcase of terror that the world would find hard to ignore.