The Testimonies Archive
On Oct. 7, 2023, Israel suffered one of the worst tragedies in its history when armed Hamas terrorists breached the Gaza border and brutally murdered hundreds of Israeli citizens, including women and children.
Tablet Studios and the USC Shoah Foundation have joined forces to create The Testimonies Archive, a curated collection of audio and video interviews, in an effort to grow, share, and amplify the reach of their October 7 testimony collections.
In this archive are firsthand testimonies of those who survived the massacre, those who risked their own lives to save others, and those whose lives were changed forever when they lost loved ones. There are also testimonies from family members, and beloved friends, and stories about the impact the war has had, in Israel and abroad.
The Miniseries
From Tablet Studios, The Testimonies Archive Miniseries combines archival Oct. 7 testimonies with on-the-ground reporting from Israel.
We’re Coming Home Today
We join an ultra-orthodox IDF team searching the Nova festival grounds for human remains, and hear from Andrey Peairie, who escaped across those very grounds.
How Can You Win A War Without Black Coffee?
We visit an IDF field base where volunteers prepare high-end coffee for soldiers, and hear from Maayan Sherman, whose son Ron was taken captive and killed.
Her Name Was Oriya
We visit the gravesite of Oriya Ricardo, a young woman murdered at the Nova festival attack, and speak to her mother, Hannie, about what was taken from her.
A Real Hero
We visit a volunteer-run IDF rest stop, and hear from Lior Peri, whose father Chaim was taken captive by Hamas. UPDATE: Chaim Peri's body was extracted from Gaza by the IDF.
This Is Our Home
We visit Kibbutz Be'eri, where resident Netzer Moka shows us the remains of the kibbutz art gallery, and hear from gallery manager Sofie Berzon MacKie about her experience on October 7th.
The Archive
We’ll be updating this archive as we collect more stories. To share yours, email us at [email protected] or go to USC Shoah Foundation Testimony.
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100 Days
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: It’s been more than 100 days since Hamas massacred more than 1,300 Israelis and kidnapped hundreds more into Gaza. To commemorate this grim milestone, we are pausing our regular programming to honor those who were killed that day and those still being held captive.
A Tale of Two Bus Stops
Two bus stops in two neighboring towns capture how war can unify, and how it can divide.
Adam Ben Shabath
As has been said many times in the past, identity is like an onion: There are layers of family and country, religion and political persuasions, favorite sports teams, musical preferences and on and on. But for many, such as 23-year-old Adam Ben Shabath, it is their hometown which stands at the center of it all. And now, as a result of the war, Adam's village of Neve Shalom/Wahat as-Salam - with its unique population and delicate equilibrium - is being torn at the seams. Residents are questioning long-held truths - some have shifted their views, while others continue to hold firm or have even doubled down. Adam shares his own private take on the matter.
Adele Raemer
Adele received frantic text messages about terrorists breaking into people's homes on her kibbutz, so she huddled in her safe room with her son. Terrorists later tried to break into hers.
Adi and Yaniv Attias
Adi and Yaniv's cousin, Amit Buskila, was at the Nova festival when Hamas terrorists attacked. She and a friend tried to escape, but terrorists stopped their car and killed her friend. Amit ran and hid under another car, where she was able to call her uncle. But the car soon drove away and she was left with nowhere to hide, and was taken into Gaza. Her body was later recovered by the IDF.
Highlighted testimonyAdva Gutman Tirosh
Even today, nearly three weeks after the devastating attacks of October 7th, there are still hundreds of people who are considered “missing,” which means that they haven’t been confirmed dead, but - at the same time - there’s no definitive proof that they’ve been kidnapped into Gaza. One of those missing is Tamar Gutman, who was at the Nova Party in Re’im. Her sister Adva Gutman Tirosh talks about the difficulties of coping with uncertainty.
Agi Mishol
77-year-old Agi Mishol is one of Israel’s most prominent, beloved and widely-read poets. Over the years she’s won practically every literary prize here, and Amos Oz once said that her poems “know how to tell a tale, to sing a song and also dance.” Her poetry is colorful and playful, full of nature and a love of the land. And that makes sense since – in addition to writing – Agi and her husband Giora are also farmers, who grow peaches, pomegranates and persimmons.
Aliza Raz-Melzer
There has been endless talk of the “Home Front” during this war. The "Home Front," as in what goes on here in Israel, as opposed to what happens on the battlefield - in the streets and alleyways of Gaza. But, there is - of course - also a home front, or rather many different kinds of home fronts: some are stoic, others less so; some are somehow managing, others not at all. Much to her dismay, Aliza Raz-Melzer's 50-year-old husband Amiad volunteered to go fight. She gave us a glance into her home front. A home front that is conflicted - proud and supportive on the one hand, divided and even furious on the other.
Almog Dvora
Almog ran from terrorists at the Nova festival with her friend Yam. After hiding in a field, civilians in the surrounding area saved them.
Alon Shalev
Many people sprung into action since October 7th. And yet, at the very same time, many Israelis feel… lost. Not everyone knows what to do, nor does everyone feel useful, capable or relevant. And that feeling resonates with Alon Shalev from Zur Hadassah.
Amira Mohammed and Ibrahim Abu Ahmed
Arab-Israelis, or Palestinian Citizens of Israel, or Palestinian-Israelis - all these definitions are obviously complicated and personal and have hefty connotations - found themselves in a very difficult place following the attacks of October 7th. There was a lot of confusion, a lot of suspicion and mainly - a lot of fear. Any statement, any post, any tweet came under extreme scrutiny. Most people chose, therefore, to remain silent. They figured that the benefits of speaking up seemed to be dwarfed by the possible outcomes - being fired, arrested, accused of treason or support of terrorism. But Ibrahim Abu Ahmad and Amira Mohammed are not most people. They’re both peace activists who live in between the two societies: They’re Muslim and proud Palestinians, on the one hand, but they are also Israeli citizens, speak Hebrew, have many Jewish friends and either live or work in predominantly Jewish cities in the center of Israel. So when many people around them retreated into a self-imposed post-October 7th silence, they did the exact opposite: They started a podcast called “Unapologetic: The Third Narrative.” On the show they explore their complex identities, and talk to a wide range of guests - Jews, Arabs, Gazans, Israelis. The podcast has taken off, and Amira and Ibrahim have come to model a different kind of discourse, one that challenges the binary and dichotomous definitions we’re so accustomed to hearing.
Amit Halivni Bar-Peled
It’s Yom HaZikaron again, Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror. Since the start of the war, 1511 Israeli civilians and members of the armed forces have been killed. That's 1511 families who have joined the dreaded circle of grief and bereavement. 1511 families whose lives will never again be the same. Today, we share the story of one such family. A small family. One that was just starting off, really. Thirty-year-old Yuval Halivni was a reserve officer who was killed on October 9th. He left behind a wife, Amit Halivni Bar-Peled, who is a pastry chef and makes amazingly elaborate wedding cakes, and a little boy, Jon-Jon, who was less than two when his dad was killed.
Amit Yesodi Ades
Amit Ades and her husband, Tomer, along with their three children under the age of 7, spent 35 hours in a safe room in their home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the Hamas attacks that killed 50 residents of their small community.
Highlighted testimonyAndrey Peairie
Andrey escaped under fire from the Nova festival, managing to lead his friends to safety
Angela Buchdahl and Shlomo Nisanov
The nature of the attacks on October 7th, together with certain subsequent reactions around the world, have blurred the lines between Jews in Israel and Jews in the diaspora. Last week, the UJA Federation of New York brought over a delegation of 28 Jewish leaders – mainly rabbis and educators – on a jam-packed 48-hour-long whirlwind of a trip to Israel. We sat down with two, very different, members of the delegation – Reform Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Orthodox Rabbi Shlomo Nisanov – to hear what it feels like to visit Israel in the middle of a war.
Ariel Markose
Hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been called up to reserve duty. But what about the families they leave behind?
Avi Shamriz
Avi Shamriz stood guard in his living room while his wife and daughter sheltered in a safe room in their Kibbutz Kfar Aza home. His son, Alon Shamriz, a young adult living in nearby community housing, was taken hostage by Hamas and later killed.
Avidor Schwartzman
Avidor, his wife, and his one-year-old baby hid in a safe room while receiving messages that his wife's parents, Cindy and Igal Flash, had their safe room breached by terrorists.
Aviel Gabay
For 47 agonizing days, the Gabay family lived in uncertainty, unsure whether Shani was murdered or being held hostage. Join us as we unravel the heartbreaking narrative
Bar Yuval Shani
Musicians, educators and activists in the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Movement, Shachar and Shlomi Matias were murdered in front of their 16 year old son. Her sister Bar guides us through the tragic story.
Charlene Seidle
Upwards of $1 billion in donations have been sent to Israel since the start of the war. For years Charlene Seidle, the Executive Vice President of the San Diego-based Leichtag Foundation, has been at the forefront of the Jewish philanthropic world. While the Leichtag Foundation supports various causes in the States and in Israel, their main local focus is bridging social and economic gaps in Jerusalem. They’ve given life to hundreds of grassroots initiatives and have created the ‘Jerusalem Model’ - a diverse network of social entrepreneurs, activists and leaders from all sectors around town - Jews, Muslims, Christians, religious, secular, etc. Since Charlene and her team have been nurturing and cultivating these relationships for so long, they were particularly well-situated to understand the needs on the ground in the immediate aftermath of October 7th.
Chaya Gilboa
Chaya Gilboa is a Talmud teacher, an activist, a flaming redhead, and was – for the last three years – the CEO of the Jerusalem Philanthropic Initiatives, which works with local civil society. On October 11th, Chaya turned 40, but instead of any kind of celebration, she was leading a team at the Jerusalem Chamal – the epicenter of the city’s volunteer efforts.
Children of Kibbutz Be’eri
Nobody says it more clearly than kids. Listen to the testimonies of the children who survived this pogrom.
Dan Alon
Dan was on his kibbutz when the shooting started. He and family went into their safe room, holding the door shut as terrorists surrounded the house and tried setting it on fire.
Daniel Dvir
As she ran away from gunshots at the Nova festival, Daniel was separated from her friend, and was forced to hide in the fields. Eventually she called her father, and he immediately drove into the chaos to evacuate her.
Highlighted testimonyDatya Itzhaki
In the summer of 2005, the government of Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza. The roughly 8,000 residents of the 21 Jewish settlements within the Gaza Strip were forced to leave their homes and their communities, which – for decades – they had actually been encouraged and incentivized to inhabit. The move brought the country to the brink of a civil war. This was especially palpable in the tense relations between the residents of Gush Katif (as the main block of Gaza settlements was known) and their neighbors from the other side of the fence — the largely left-leaning residents of the kibbutzim of Otef Azza, all the same kibbutzim that — eighteen years later — suffered most in the Hamas attack of October 7th. Now, many of the former residents of the Gaza settlements who never stopped dreaming of returning to the sand dunes of the Strip feel at least partially vindicated. Had their communities not been dismantled back in 2005, they claim, the army would have still been in Gaza, and none of this calamity would have occurred. One such voice is that of 63-year-old Datya Itzhaki, who used to live in the Gush Katif settlement of Kfar Yam.
David Broza
There’s a long tradition of musicians and entertainers performing on the frontlines during times of war. And, indeed, almost immediately, Israel’s leading artists began crisscrossing the country in a joint effort to lift morale. For David Broza, this kind of work isn’t, unfortunately, new. He’s been performing for troops since the mid-seventies, and for the last two weeks hasn’t stopped for a minute. Broza has given more than fifty concerts since the start of the war — in hotel lobbies, army bases, bomb shelters, kibbutz lawns and even at the bris of a baby from Kfar Aza. Basically wherever his talent can bring some joy and offer a temporary escape from reality, Broza has performed. We joined him at Kibbutz Gal’ed in the north, where he was performing for families evacuated from their homes.
Highlighted testimonyDekel Sayag
As a part of his kibbutz's first responders, Dekel fought for the safety of the kibbutz and its members while waiting for the IDF to arrive.
Din Tesler
Din's best friend, Bar Kuperstein, offered him a gig doing security at a music festival in the south. He never could have imagined how his life would be changed forever.
Dor Raz
When Dor and his friends heard gunshots at the Nova festival, they hid in nearby bushes for hours while carnage occurred right in front of them.
Doron Dray
Doron and her friend ran for hours through fields and plantations trying to escape the attack on the Nova festival.
Doron Krakow
This war is a humbling experience for us all. People — no matter who they are or what they normally do — are simply trying to pitch in wherever they can. We’ve thus seen ex-generals jump into their private cars and go save civilians from the carnage of October 7th, former ministers and senior politicians volunteer to pick cherry tomatoes on farms near Gaza, and rock stars jam for a single soldier on an army base. Likewise, Doron Krakow — the President and CEO of the JCC Association of North America, who in normal times runs an organization that employs tens of thousands of professionals — immediately got on a plane and came to Israel in order to do one thing: Be a grandpa.
Eden Attias
Eden's friend, Oriya Ricardo, was at the Nova festival with a couple of friends when Hamas attacked. She had been texting with her sister and mother when she and her friends fled by car. Then the texts stopped. A few days later, Eden found out Oriya had been killed
Eden Bart
Eden was home for the holidays when the attacks began, and took shelter in her basement while her neighborhood's security team and the IDF warded off terrorists.
Einav Amster and Gal Ben Ami
As Einav and Gal escaped from the Nova festival, they found themselves in a wide open field. Their ran and hid for five hours until a friend's father evacuated them.
Elana Braude
Elana and her husband hid in their safe room, along with her husband's sister Ruth. An explosive was thrown into their home, setting a whole wing on fire.
Elliot Cosgrove and Mishy Harman
Last week, our host Mishy Harman was interviewed by Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove for the Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast. And as this is, in a way, Mishy's wartime diary, we decided to share it with our listeners too.
Eric Sherman
Eric protected his wife and three children in their safe room by holding the door shut against terrorists who tried to get inside
Etel Bennett
Etel survived the Hamas attack on her kibbutz until she evacuated with others from her kibbutz.
Highlighted testimonyEti Koren
Eti and her husband were hidden in their safe room from the morning of October 7th until the day after. When they finally opened the door to get a sense of the situation, they realized their entire house was burned down.
Eviatar Schindler
Eviatar and his friends ran through groves and orchards as terrorists shot from every direction.
Eyal Grisaru
Eyal helped fellow kibbutz members that were injured in a grenade attack.
Eytan Or
Eytan was on his way to synagogue when the rockets started. He raced back home, barricaded his family in their safe room, away from the terrorists that passed right outside.
Highlighted testimonyFaiz Abu Sabehan
Over the last five weeks we’ve spoken to many families of hostages. That’s how we met Faiz Abu Sabehan, whose 53-year-old brother-in-law, Farhan al-Qadi – a father of eleven – has been kidnapped into Gaza. Faiz is a Bedouin politician, and has twice served as mayor of Rahat, the largest Arab city in Israel. He’s also an educator – a teacher, a principal and an administrator. Much like his political patron, Mansour Abbas, Faiz holds a complex position – he’s in favor of fully integrating into Israeli society on the one hand, but remains steadfast and uncompromising when it comes to central tenets of Islam on the other. Being the mayor of Rahat is one of the most difficult jobs in the country – the city is poor, under-policed and sees more than its share of violence. In fact, Faiz himself has survived multiple assassination attempts. Some of what he says is challenging and might make certain listeners feel uncomfortable. But nevertheless we felt that it’s important to bring his voice too, as an Israeli, as a Bedouin leader and as a family member of a hostage.
Families of Hostages March
After six weeks of anguish, the families of the hostages take action. March with us and hear their stories.
Highlighted testimonyG (Name Redacted)
G (Name Redacted), a reserve duty combat paramedic in an elite IDF unit, was called to help liberate communities overrun with Hamas terrorists
Gerida Klajman
Gerida woke up to the sounds of terrorists who'd invaded her kibbutz.
Gidon Lev
There’s a lot of Holocaust rhetoric in the air. ‘Never Again’ slogans have resurfaced, Netanyahu has said – on several occasions – that Hamas militants are worse than the Nazis, and just this week the Israeli delegation to the UN wore yellow stars at the Security Council. All of this is, of course, controversial, and many people – including many Holocaust survivors – have different feelings on the matter. Gidon Lev from Ramat Gan probably isn’t exactly what you imagine when you think of a Holocaust survivor. For many years he lived in Kibbutz Zikim on the Gaza border, where he milked some 200 cows a day. Nowadays, he’s a veritable TikTok celebrity, with nearly half a million followers, and – quite accurately – refers to himself as a “rascal.” When the war broke out he experienced a lot of trauma, and took shelter in Ein Gedi, on the shores of the Dead Sea.
Highlighted testimonyGil Dickmann
Gil's family members, Carmel Gat, Yarden Roman Gat, and Kinneret Gat, were at Kibbutz Be'eri when terrorists attacked their home. Not knowing what was happening to them, Gil began frantically scrolling through social media trying to find out what happened. He saw videos of his aunt being kidnapped, and then later discovered video evidence of her murder. Gil's two cousin-in-laws were taken hostage in Gaza, but his cousin was able to escape with his three year old daughter just a kilometer from the Gaza border.
Highlighted testimonyGoni Goddard
While the attacks on his kibbutz were still ongoing, Goni woke up to frantic phone calls only around 2pm. He left the room by bike in search of his parents, Meni and Ayelet Goddard, wearing a bandana to blend in with the terrorists - one even shouted and pointed his gun at Goni. He couldn't find his parents, but hid in their home until the IDF evacuated him. Days later he received news that both were murdered.
Guy and Tamar Kremer
Guy and Tamar were visiting her parents on their kibbutz when the rocket alarm started. Then the rumors of terrorists breaking into their kibbutz began.
Hadas Eilon
Hadas and her daughter went to spend the holiday with her family in Kfar Aza. They ended up trapped in her family's safe room for hours, with no food, no water, no electricity, no bathroom, and no air.
Hagit Moaz
Almost immediately after the start of the attack of October 7th, as rockets were being launched at Jerusalem, and sirens sent the city’s one million residents into shelters, the heads of the Israel Museum initiated an emergency protocol for the first time since the Gulf War in 1991. The idea was to protect the nation’s most priceless cultural and historical treasures, the building blocks of our collective identity. The very first step of that protocol was to secure the Museum’s most prized possession, its indisputable star, its “Mona Lisa” – the Dead Sea Scrolls. Of all the estimated 500,000 treasured items in the Museum’s collections, from Monets to Picassos, from the Chalcolithic hoard of Nahal Mishmar to the House of David inscription from Tel Dan, it was the 2200-year-old scrolls that were packed up and rushed into the museum’s most protected safe. And it was Hagit Maoz, the Curator of the Shrine of the Book where the scrolls are normally housed, who was tasked with this delicate operation.
Hai Ashkenzai
53-year-old Hai Ashkenazi from Tel Aviv is an archeologist, but never imagined he would find himself excavating a 21st-century Kibbutz. Yet in the insane reality that has become our life since October 7th, archeologists too are part of the war effort, and the term “destruction layer” has accrued a contemporary and chilling meaning.
Haim Medina
Haim was shot in his hand while out for a bike ride near his kibbutz.
Highlighted testimonyHannie Ricardo
Hannie was woken up in the middle of the night in New York with news that her daughter, Oriya Ricardo was missing from the Nova festival. She flew to Israel immediatly, and days later she received news that Oriya was murdered.
Hedai Offaim
During this dark time, Israeli civil society has risen to the occasion. Hedai Offaim – a chef, farmer and social entrepreneur – has transformed his café into a relief kitchen where 750 volunteers prepare more than 10,000 nutritious meals a day for evacuated communities, families in mourning, families of hostages and reservists.
Hugo (Uri) Wolaj
The war has been going on for over three months, and many of us have settled into some sort of altered routine, a "new normal." But there are hundreds of thousands of people, possibly millions, for whom nothing is normal. Hugo (Uri) Wolaj of Kibbutz Be’eri is one of them: everything about his life - his job, his friends, his family, his parenting style, everything - changed on October 7th. Uri spent more than 20 hours that day hiding with his wife and daughters in the safe room. They were evacuated to a Dead Sea hotel in the early hours of October 8th and have been there ever since. But last week he returned to Be’eri, for a rare and eerie visit to his own home.
Idit Ohel
Alon Ohel - a talented young jazz pianist - was kidnapped from the Nova party on October 7th, and has been held hostage in Gaza ever since. His family has spent the last five plus months sending him good vibes and good music. In today's episode, his mother - Idit Ohel - talks about the importance of energy, friendship and hope during these dire times.
Introduction Episode
Our goal for the next few weeks is to collect powerful stories of Israelis during wartime.
Issa Kassissieh
It’s a sad Christmas Eve in Jesus’ homeland. The alleyways of Jerusalem’s Old City, the streets of Nazareth, the churches of Bethlehem - all usually bustling with countless pilgrims and tourists from all over the world - are largely empty. There are no trees, no stars, no sparkling lights. Christmas has essentially been canceled, and not just as a figure of speech: Back in November, the patriarchs and heads of practically all the local Christian denominations issued a decree calling upon their flocks to forgo any public celebration of the holiday in solidarity with the victims of the war. But there is one man who simply cannot accept the idea of a Christmas-less year. And that man is Issa Kassissieh.
Itai Kramer
At age 50, Itai Kramer is no longer obligated to serve in the reserve forces, yet he volunteered anyway. Itai tells us about what went through his mind when he decided to drop everything and put on his uniform.
Itay Raviv
Ohad Munder turned 9 in Hamas' captivity. He was kidnapped with his mom, Karen Munder, and grandparents, Avraham and Ruti Munder, on Oct. 7.
Itay Raviv (Pt 2)
Ohad Munder turned nine in Hamas' captivity. Now, he is back home with his mom, Karen Munder. His uncle Itay tells us about their return and what happened to them in Gaza.
Highlighted testimonyItzik Horn
Itzik's son, Eitan Horn, was visiting his other son, Iair Horn, on Kibbutz Nir Oz. Both were taken hostage.
Highlighted testimonyJourney into the Inferno (Walking Through Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza)
I had to see the destruction for myself. Join me for a journey into the inferno.
Highlighted testimonyKatherine Leff
Despite everything, life continues amid the horror. For Katherine Leff, this meant going ahead with the day she’d been dreaming about for so long — her wedding day.
Liad Zinder and Ofek Dvoskin
Chased and shot at by terrorists, Ofek and Liad spent more than twelve hours escaping the Nova party
Lihi Lapid
Lihi Lapid is a celebrated photojournalist, columnist and best-selling author – of children’s books, cookbooks and award-winning novels. She’s also married to Yair Lapid, the former Israeli Prime Minister and current Leader of the Opposition. In 2021 Lihi published Zarot, a sweeping tale that explores a complicated mother-daughter relationship, the tolls of immigration and the reality of marginalized groups within Israeli society. When it came out, it received glowing praise, especially from the notoriously harsh critics at Haaretz who called the novel, “a wonderful work written with restraint and wisdom.” And this spring, three years later and in what is an entirely different world, the English translation – On Her Own – was published by HarperCollins. We sat down to talk about October 7th, feminism, special needs, and what it’s like to have a major work of fiction – written by the former Prime Minister’s wife – come out in the middle of a war.
Lihi Sabinik and Ido Priva
Couple Lihi and Ido ran to their separate cars after a police officer at the Nova festival urged them to leave. But as cars bottlenecked, they each realized their only option was to run, and eventually reunited in the fields as they escaped.
Highlighted testimonyLior Peri
Lior's half-brother, Danny Darlington, and Danny's girlfriend, Carolin Bohl, were killed on the 7th. Lior's father, Chaim Peri, was taken hostage, but told his wife to stay silent and hide, which saved her life.
Louish Rijal
Among the thousands of people who had the terrible misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time on October 7th, there were also – as we now all know – many foreigners. People who had little, or no, connection to the long history of violence between Jews and Arabs, Israel and Hamas. Among them were Filipino caregivers, Thai agricultural workers and also a group of Nepali students who had been accepted to an 11-month-long internship at the Sedot Negev Agricultural Training Center.
Maayan Sherman
Maayan's son, Ron Sherman, was kidnapped from his military base. In December, his death was confirmed by the IDF, and his body was returned to Israel.
Highlighted testimonyMaayan Weiss
After the terrorists infiltrated their kibbutz, Maayan and her family hid in their respective safe rooms. Her father, Ilan Weiss, left to defend the kibbutz; her mother, Shiri Weiss, was kidnapped; and her younger sister, Noga Weiss, encountered a terrorist while trying to escape a fire. Only Maayan and her older sister made it out of the kibbutz.
Malki Shem-Tov
Malki spoke with his son, Omer Shem-Tov, as he tried to escape the Nova party. As he followed Omer's cellphone location, Malki saw as it passed into Gaza.
Maor Moravia
Maor, his wife, and their two children barricaded themselves in the safe room of their home as gunshots blazed outside their windows and they exchanged frantic text messages with neighbors.
Mark Joffe
Mark and his family hid in their home's safe room until they received messages that the IDF had come to rescue them.
Highlighted testimonyMaryam Younnes
Despite all the experts and pundits out there, few know Hezbollah as well as the members of a small, and often forgotten, community living in Israel. This community has found itself in an impossible position: Their adoptive country (Israel) is at war with their sworn enemy (Hezbollah), but is also - as a by-product - bombing their hometowns and villages in Southern Lebanon, where many of their friends and family members still reside. Welcome to the Middle East. In today's episode, we hear from Maryam Younnes, whose father was an SLA commander who relocated to Israel back in May 2000.
Matti Friedman
The war caught everyone by surprise, of course, and since it broke out at the tail end of the chagim, many Israelis were abroad. What do you do in that case? Do you rush home? Do you continue your trip? Do you wait it out somewhere safe and far away? As it happens, on October 7th, our producer Mitch Ginsburg was hiking across the Scottish Highlands with his buddy – author, journalist and friend of the show, Matti Friedman. This is their story.
Maya German and Benjamin Fainsod
Today's "Wartime Diary" takes us to a place that is, under normal circumstances, one of the most visited sites in the entire country - Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo, or as it's officially known, 'The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens.' Since the start of the war, the city of Jerusalem has welcomed more than 30,000 evacuees from both the North and the South. With such an influx of people, and especially of kids, there was a real need to create new programming and activities. The Jerusalem Foundation stepped in and launched “Double Impact” an initiative that sent tens of thousands of evacuees (as well as the city’s school children) to various cultural and recreational institutions such as museums, theaters, the aquarium and, of course, the zoo. The result benefitted not only the kids themselves, who got a day of fun and enrichment, but also the city's struggling institutions.
Maya Izocheyev
Maya went to work at the Nova festival with her roommate and other friends. When the attack started, she was seperated from her roommate, and had to escape under fire.
Melvin Poliak
While Melvin's family hid in their safe room, Melvin watched television in his living room as terrorists attacked his kibbutz.
Michael Vivier
For the last nine-and-a-half months, we’ve been experiencing different kinds of battlefields: There are actual battlefields, where people fight and are wounded and killed. And then, of course, there are secondary battlefields - on college campuses, in the court of public opinion, on social media, on TV, in newspapers, via text messages. And while no one has, thankfully, been killed on those battlefields, they are - in disturbing ways - no less vicious. This reality is so pervasive that for many it’s become the haunting soundtrack of the entire period. But today we want to share one small story, one of countless similar ones that have crossed our radar - about trolling, virtual bullying and Israel bashing.
Highlighted testimonyMichal Alon
Michal Alon, a nurse and mother of ten, went to spend Shabbat and the holiday on army base in the south to bring joy the soldiers. In her worst nightmare she never could have seen what was coming.
Highlighted testimonyMichal Levy
Michael's brother, Or Levy, and his wife, Eynav Levy, had just arrived at the Nova festival minutes before the attack began. They ran into a shelter to protect themselves from incoming rockets, and that's the last Michael and his family heard from them. Michael searched every digital artifact he could find to try and get some information about them. He later discovered that terrorists threw grenades into the shelter, killing Eynav and taking Or captive. Or is still being held in Gaza, while their two year old son is being cared for by his grandparents.
Millet Ben Haim
Millet went to the Nova party with friends, and tried to drive away as terrorists attacked. They were forced to run and hide for hours until they were rescued.
Millet Ben Haim
As terrorists attacked the Nova festival, Millet and her friends ran into an orchard, and hid beneath shrubbery for hours.
Mishael Zion
Next week, millions of Jews around the world will sit down at their Passover tables, for what will invariably be a very different kind of seder. The timeless question of how this night, or this Pesach, is different from all other nights, and all other Pesachs, has gained an entirely new - and tragic - dimension since October 7th. And few, if any, have thought about this matter more than forty-three year old Mishael Zion, a liberal Orthodox rabbi and Jewish educator from Jerusalem. In 1997, Mishael’s father - Noam Zion - together with his friend David Dishon - published a popular English-language Haggadah called “A Different Night.” Seven years later, Mishael joined forces with his dad in creating an Israeli version - HaLayla HaZeh: Haggadah Israelit. And this year, two decades after that Israeli Haggadah came out, Mishael and his father decided to update it, for the first post-October 7th seder.
Mishka Ben-David
Mishka Ben-David might seem – at first – like a harmless and cuddly grandpa, but the truth is that he’s lived many secret lives. He has somehow managed to seamlessly transition from community organizing to academia to horse breeding to an illustrious career as a senior Mossad agent. Today, however, he spends most of his time writing. Over the years he has authored 21 books – a combination of spy novels, love stories, philosophy treaties, and literary criticism. Many of them are local best-sellers and have been translated into surprising languages such as Turkish and Korean. In 2017 he published “The Shark,” a dystopian tale which begins with a Hamas attack on Kibbutz Kfar Azza that is eerily similar to — and in fact almost exactly predicts — the horrors of October 7th.
Moira Dror
Moira survived the attack in her safe room with her husband.
Mor Maisel
This war has forced many people to reevaluate their identities and political sensibilities—not an easy task during these shocking and painful days. Mor Maisel’s opinions are complicated and don’t conform to the norm, which may be challenging for some listeners, and reassuring for others.
Highlighted testimonyMoriah Cohen
On Saturday, four hostages - Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv, Almog Meir Jan and Andrey Kozlov - were heroically rescued by the Israeli security forces, and safely brought home alive. Still, 120 hostages remain in Gaza - 43 of whom have already been declared dead - and the pressure to sign a deal that will bring them home is mounting from day to day. Such a deal, of course, has two sides: We tend to focus on what we stand to get, i.e. the hostages. To many, that’s really all that matters. But there are also those who emphasize the other side - what we’d be forced to give, the price we’d need to pay and the people we’d need to release. Our episode today brings us that part of the story.
Moshe Dayan
In 1956, Moshe Dayan – then the IDF’s Chief of Staff – delivered a eulogy for a fallen member of Kibbutz Nahal Oz. That eulogy had a tremendous impact on Israeli society and is just as poignant today as it was sixty-seven years ago.
Nir Shani
Nir Shani managed to hold the door of his safe room shut while terrorists shot up his Kibbutz Be’eri house and then set it ablaze. His son, Amit Shani, was kidnapped and was held hostage in Gaza.
Nir Shani
While Nir Shani was hiding to save his life in his saferoom, his son, Amit Shani, was taken hostage and dragged into Gaza. Hear Nir tell this horrible story.
Nitzan Sinvaniy
While under fire from terrorists at the Nova party, Nitzan helped her friend run for cover
Noam Ivri
After hearing rockets, then seeing videos of Hamas soldiers in their town, Noam and his extended family bolted their door and hid in their home.
Noam Tsuriely
Some 350,000 Israelis have been called up to reserve duty since the start of the war, in what has been the largest mobilization in the country’s history. These are people who were plucked out of their homes, families and daily lives, and inserted into a totally different world, one which is in most cases - just to add to the confusion - a mere car ride away. And those transitions back and forth, between the craziness of the frontline and the veneer of normalcy at home, can be dizzying and unsettling. We’re hearing more and more about that juxtaposition now that large numbers of reservists are being released from their service, and are returning to their regular lives. One of them is Noam Tsuriely from Jerusalem. Noam’s a rapper, who recently put out his debut album and had, pre-war, a string of big time gigs all lined up. He was summoned for reserve duty on Oct. 7th, and has spent most of the last four months in Gaza. We spoke to him just as he came out of Gaza, and began his readjustment to civilian life.
Highlighted testimonyNofar Sarudi
Nofar's brother Yaniv Sarudi was a worker at the Nova Festival who risked his life to evacuate eight people, including his girlfriend. He was shot at twice by terrorist and later died in the hospital. The other evacuees all survived.
Noga Friedman
45-year-old Ido Rosenthal from Moshav Ben Shemen served in an elite commando unit and was killed on the first day of the war. His wife, Noga, a sociology doctoral student at Ben Gurion University, has since been sharing her feelings on Facebook. She gave us permission to translate and record one of her posts.
Highlighted testimonyNurit Habaz and Oshri Kachlon
Nurit and Oshri ran for hours from the Nova festival attack, and witnessed the chaos of the attack on the rural roads. They were eventually evacuated by the military.
Highlighted testimonyOfek Livni
Ofek went with friends to the Nova festival, despite preminitions that something bad would happen. After the initial rocket attack and subsequent shooting, he gathered friends into his car, and drove through rough terrain, picking up strangers along the way.
Ofer Tamir
After the entire team of Kibbutz Kissufim’s dairy farm was murdered, Ofer Tamir from Nahalal rushed down south to rescue the local cows.
Ohad Lapidot
Ohad's daughter, Tiferet Lapidot, went missing from the Nova festival with her fiance, Dor Hanan Shafir. Days after this conversation, Tiferet and Dor were confirmed as murdered.
Highlighted testimonyOmer Ohana
The war has brought many new people into the limelight: For nearly three months we've been hearing countless stories of casualties, hostages, survivors and family members, many of whom have entered our hearts and never left. In some cases we feel like we’ve gotten to know these unsung heroes personally. One of the first big stories of the war, in that initial crazy week after October 7th, was that of 30-year-old Sagi Golan from Herzliya - a decorated officer in an anti-terrorism unit, who was killed in action in Be’eri in the early hours of October 8th. His story made headlines because Sagi was supposed to have married his partner, Omer Ohana, two weeks later, and his death brought to the fore - once again - the matter of the army and LGBTQ rights. Though the IDF has recognized same-sex partners of fallen soldiers as being eligible for full financial and emotional support since the mid-1990s, the matter had never been enshrined in law. So in the weeks after Sagi’s death, Omer led a successful campaign to legally secure the rights of same-sex and common law partners of fallen soldiers.
Omer and Daniel
"We thought - this is the end, let him just do it quick..."
Ophir Nadborny
Ophir’s cousin, Savyon Chen Kipper, and Savyon's boyfriend, Dor Shafir, were killed at the Psyduck party in the south of Israel.
Oren Zvada
Oren, his children, his wife, and his mother-in-law all hid in their home's shelter. Their house was broken into twice by terrorists; both times the terrorists did not check the safe room.
Highlighted testimonyOrian Adar
Orian's 85 year old grandmother, Yaffa Adar, was taken captive in Gaza on her own mobility scooter. Audio dubbed in English.
Poison Ivy
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: This week on the show, we’re reporting from Columbia University, where in recent days anti-Israel protesters have set up an encampment and occupied an administrative building. You can read Tablet’s long-running coverage of the escalating situation on American college campuses here, and Liel’s 2019 article “Get Out” here. Liel and Tablet Editor-in-Chief Alana Newhouse speak with New York City Mayor Eric Adams about the protests, the NYPD response, and more. Stephanie heads to Columbia to see what’s happening on campus and talk to students. Plus, we’re sharing a recent Tablet conversation, moderated by Liel, between professors Shai Davidai of Columbia and Ron Hassner of Berkeley about their efforts to combat antisemitism on their campuses.
Highlighted testimonyRabbi Shmuel Slotky
Noam and Yishai Slotky were murdered by Hamas on Shabbat, Oct. 7. Their father shares their story.
Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin
Many of you have probably heard, or read about, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, the parents of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped from the Nova Party. In many ways they’ve emerged as the face of the hostage families - they’ve met with Biden and the Pope, they were on the cover of Time Magazine, Rachel has spoken at the UN and at the ‘March for Israel’ Rally in Washington D.C. And in all those places, as well as in countless other interviews, speeches and meetings, they’ve told the heartbreaking tale of the two text messages Hersh sent on the morning of October 7th, one saying “I love you” and the other “I’m sorry.” He wrote those messages from within a shelter, where he was hiding with 28 other partygoers. Eighteen of them were killed, and Hersh - whose left arm was blown off - was badly wounded. Shortly thereafter, Hersh and three others from the shelter were loaded onto Hamas pickup trucks and taken into Gaza. It has now been 55 days.
Raz Newman
Israel has, of course, branded itself as the Start-Up Nation. And in many ways, Raz Newman is the classic Israeli tech entrepreneur. He’s 32, lives in Rishon Le’Zion, has two daughters, and spends most of his time researching AI and meeting with potential angel investors. On October 7th, as people began thinking how to best contribute, Raz immediately opened up his laptop and began building the AI Ezra Bot.
Raziel Tamir
“I detached myself, emotionally, and told myself, just find a place to hide.”
Renana Botzer Swissa
After sixteen hours in her family's safe room, the IDF arrived at their door to evacuate them, but Renana wasn't sure if they were Hamas terrorists trying to trick them
Highlighted testimonyRiyad Ali
Since the start of the military operation in Gaza, countless reports by journalists embedded with the IDF troops have appeared in the Israeli media. But there was one eight-and-a-half minute-long TV broadcast that aired on Kan - the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation - that stood out. In it, Riyad Ali, a 61-year-old Druze journalist from the town of Maghar in the Galilee, accompanied soldiers from the Golani Brigade who were operating in the Zeitun neighborhood of Gaza City. He spoke to a bunch of them, including one shy officer, Yussef, who just so happened to also be Druze. It was a pretty standard interview, but at some point something unusual happened: Unsatisfied, perhaps, with the officer’s guarded answers, Riyad took the mic and launched into an on-air monologue. He spoke from the depths of his heart about the discrimination the Druze population faces and reminded viewers that the Declaration of Independence promised all Israeli citizens equal rights, irrespective of race, religion or sex. Despite the Druzes’ loyalty, he went on, and despite the fact that six Druze soldiers have been killed since the start of the war, they still feel like second class citizens. That clip went viral. Riyad’s courage to speak up surprised and touched many Israelis, who are - these days - accustomed to a more patriotic tone on the news. But when he chose, in what seemed like a spur of the moment decision, to go public with his more complex views, Riyad wasn’t only speaking as a member of the Druze minority. He was also speaking as a man who, nineteen years ago, was himself kidnapped by Hamas in Gaza.
Highlighted testimonyRomy Zarankin
Romy and her friends ran to a shelter when the attacks began on the Nova festival. Her partner, Sela, and other friends stayed behind to help the wounded. Some of her friends didn't make it out alive.
Ronit Farm
Normally Chavat Ronit – or Ronit Farm – is a high-end event venue north of Herzliya. Ra’anan Arizon’s seventy dunams are full of quaffed lawns, picturesque trees, instagramable gazebos, a gorgeous pond and a lot of peaceful nature. All of that makes the farm an idyllic setting for upscale weddings and parties. Now, however, it has been converted into an “emotional” emergency room. With all its different stations and activities, it feels like a summer camp for adults, except for the fact that all the campers are survivors of the Nova party at Re’im.
Sagi Gabay
Sagi was at the Nova festival when he saw rockets overhead. He realized how serious the situation was, and along with the friends, was evacuated by volunteers from a nearby kibbutz.
Sahar Vardi
Today we’ll hear from Sahar Vardi, a Jewish-Israeli peace activist who lost a dear friend, Khalil Abu Yahia, in Gaza.
Sapir Bluzer
A parent being called to war impacts the entire family. So she stepped up.
Sasha Ariev
Everything in this corner of the world has changed since Saturday, October 7. All around us, friends, family, colleagues, people have died. People are missing. People have been kidnapped. There’s a lot of uncertainty and we’re all involved in dozens of initiatives but we’re also going to bring you some voices and testimonies that try to paint a picture of these devastating times.
Season Finale with Rachelle Fraenkel
A look back at all of Season One with a message of hope from one of the great heroes of the Jewish nation Rachelle Fraenkel, the mother of Naftali, one of "Our Three Boys," from the 2014 kidnapping and murder.
Senator Joe and Hadassah Lieberman
A discussion about Israel, Judaism and the meaning of life with the Senator and his wife Hadassah
Shai Davidai
In the immediate aftermath of October 7th, Shai Davidai - an Assistant Professor at Columbia University - became an unlikely public defender of Israel. And truthfully, even he was surprised by this turn of events: As a committed left-wing Israeli, he had spent years criticizing the government, and often took to the streets to demonstrate against its policies. But the atmosphere he witnessed on college campuses (and specifically on his own campus at Columbia), compelled him to speak up and speak out.
Shai Wenkert
Shai lost contact with his son, Omer Wenkert, who was escaping the Nova festival attack, around 7 in the morning. He later recieved images that showed Omer being taken into captivity.
Shaked Armoza
Shaked and his friends were high on drugs, enjoying the sunrise at the Psyduck party, when they started hearing explosions overhead
Shalom Weil
As of today, more than 400 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the war. Each one of those deaths, of course, not only marks the end of a life, but also shatters a family, a community, a tribe. And that ripple effect, that communal grieving, was palpable following the death of reservist Yossi Hershkovitz, the 44-year-old Principal of the Religious Zionist Pelech School for Boys in Jerusalem, who was killed on Friday, November 10th. Like Yossi, his dear friend and colleague Shalom Weil, has devoted his life to education. Over the years Shalom has taught, founded schools and served as a principal. And ever since the war broke out he’s been working tirelessly to build educational frameworks for those impacted by it most - the families of victims, survivors, evacuees. We however asked him to come into the studio not to talk about his own admirable work, but rather about his soulmate, Yossi, who had replaced him as the Principal of the Pelech School for Boys.
Highlighted testimonySharon Gutman Gilor
One of very few positive outcomes of this war is that the ongoing debate surrounding the participation of female soldiers in combat has been decisively answered. Women are, as the IDF’s Chief of Staff - Herzi Halevi - has said on multiple occasions, an integral part of the military effort. They serve in tanks and in field intelligence posts, as pilots and naval officers, infantry soldiers, engineering specialists, canine handlers, medics and more. In fact, out of the 625 doctors and paramedics operating in Gaza in late December, 73 - more than ten percent - were women. In today's episode we talk to one of them, First Lieutenant Dr. Sharon Gutman Gilor.
Shay Shemesh
Shay drove full speed to escape the terrorists at the NOVA party
Highlighted testimonyShaylee Atary Winner
Shaylee Winner, her husband Yahav, and their one-month-old baby Shaya were in Kfar Aza on October 7th. By blocking the door to the bedroom and sacrificing himself, Yahav was able to keep a terrorist out and save Shaylee and Shaya.
Shelly Levanton Barel
Shelly was selling clothes at the Nova festival when the attack started. She escaped with friends in their car.
Shira Masami
More than 200,000 Israelis - from both the South and the North - have been forced to leave their homes since the start of the war. Some have relocated to hotels or kibbutzim, others have opted to move in with family or friends, or else even rent apartments in entirely new surroundings. In today's episode we get a glimpse of what that reality feels like. Shira Masami is one of nearly 30,000 residents who have left the southern city of Sderot - a city which suffered a horrendous attack on October 7 - and who are now dispersed around the country.
Shlomit Levy
Shlomit was on her kibbutz when she started recieving texts about the terrorists infiltration. She hid in her home with her child and husband until they were evacuated.
Highlighted testimonyShye Klein Weinstein
Shye went to the Nova festival with his cousins, his first big party after moving to Israel from Canada. He took photos the entire night, including of those who he'd later find out were killed.
Highlighted testimonySiel Buskila and Shimon Atias
On the morning of the 7th, Shimon got a call from his niece, Amit Buskila. Her friend had been shot and killed, and Amit hid as terrorists surrounded her. Shimon was on the line when they shot her. She was taken into Gaza, and her body was later recovered by the IDF.
Highlighted testimonySimha Ben Yosef
Simha watched as a hang glider landed in her kibbutz from Gaza. Shortly after terrorists broke into her home. She survived in her safe room and was later evacuated by the IDF.
Sivan Avnery
For months Sivan Avnery – a physical therapist from Kfar Shmaryahu – was active in the demonstrations against the judicial reforms. Like hundreds of thousands of other Israelis, he felt he was fighting for his home, for the very nature of his country. But he had no idea how true that was about to become. On Saturday morning, October 7, Sivan received a message which is every parent’s worst nightmare: His 18-year-old son Tal was – unbeknownst to him – at the Nova party in Re’im, and was now fleeing for his life. Without a second of hesitation, Sivan knew exactly what he needed to do.
Highlighted testimonySofie Berzon MacKie
Sofie Berzon Mackie survived the attack with her young children in their saferoom
Highlighted testimonyTair Baranes
After running from the Nova festival attack, Tair found an abandoned car in a field. She drove it, and on her way out of the area other festival goers packed in and, eventually, they made it to a shelter in Tze'elim.
Tal Ben-Dror
Tal ran for hours from the Nova festival under gunfire, and hid in the bushes and behind trees until they arrived to safety.
Highlighted testimonyTal Solomon
Tal's sister, Hilly Solomon, was killed in the Hamas terrorist attack on the Nova festival.
Tali Enoshi-Arad
Tali, her husband, and her three-year-old daughter hid in their home's safe room. Because of the strong shutters installed in their house, terrorists were unable to enter.
Toby Einhorn
Seeking love. Called to war. For our Tu B'Av special, we wanted to get a bird's eye view of the local, post-October 7th dating scene. So we went to visit Rebetzin Toby Einhorn, who runs a one-stop-shop for all matters of the heart.
Tomer Oshri
During normal times Tomer Oshri – a 48-year-old history teacher from Jerusalem – works at JDC-Israel and runs an educational non-profit. Nowadays, however, he’s the man in charge of building and operating 17 different makeshift schools for survivors and displaced residents of the communities around the Gaza Border.
Highlighted testimonyTomer Peretz
Tomer, an Israeli-American living in Los Angeles, was on vacation in Israel with his two sons when the attack started. He instantly volunteered to help, and went down south with old army friends to clear bodies from the attack.
Tzvika Mor
Forty-seven-year-old Tzvika Mor is from the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba, near Hebron. His son, Eitan, was kidnapped from the Nova Festival, where he had been working as a security guard. In fact, Eitan was only kidnapped in the afternoon of October 7th, after spending nearly nine hours evacuating injured party-goers to safe locations nearby. During that whole time Eitan heroically returned to the festival grounds again and again, under fire, to save complete strangers. At around 15:30 he was himself taken by terrorists and driven into Gaza, where he’s remained ever since. Tzvika, is an outlier among the families of the hostages. As campaigns across the country and throughout the world call upon the leaders of Israel and the Hamas to reach a deal that would release the hostages, Tzvika believes that the Israeli government should keep on fighting, and reject any offer that includes a ceasefire, even if it comes at the cost of his son’s freedom, perhaps even his life. He established a small group of like-minded relatives of hostages called Forum Tikvah, or the Hope Forum. They stress the importance of the nation and the state over the life of any individual, even if that individual happens to be your loved one. And in that, ironically, their right wing position echoes the left wing socialist and collectivist sentiments that were dominant in the early days of the state.
Unorthodox in Israel: At the Shuk
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: On Wednesday, we catch up with cookbook author Adeena Sussman and take a trip to the Shuk HaCarmel, southern Tel Aviv’s famous open-air market, to get a taste of how Israel’s famed food scene has been impacted by Oct. 7 (and, of course, sample the delicious local wares).
Unorthodox in Israel: Dogs of War
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: On Tuesday, we visit Roy Shimshon at his dog sanctuary in Moshav Tidhar in southern Israel, where he is caring for nearly 100 dogs, most of whom have been separated from their owners since Oct. 7. His story gives voice to those who can’t speak for themselves: the animals left behind when their owners were killed, kidnapped, or displaced from their homes.
Unorthodox in Israel: Kfar Aza
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: This week, Unorthodox is publishing daily dispatches from Israel. On Monday, we head to Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of the communities most brutally attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7. Unorthodox host Liel Leibovitz, producer Josh Kross, and Tablet writer Armin Rosen meet up with Chen Kotler, a lifelong Kfar Aza resident, who shows them the devastation firsthand.
Unorthodox in Israel: Special Delivery
From Tablet's Unorthodox Magazine: On Friday, Tanya Singer delivers the fruits of the Beautifully Jewish Craft-Along, bringing handknit hats to IDF soldiers, crocheted dolls to hospitalized children, and handmade cards to Israelis across the country. Along the way, she encounters all sorts of crafters and creators, and reveals the common threads of resilience and generosity that make the tapestry of the Jewish people so strong.
Unorthodox in Israel: What's the Buzz
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: On Thursday, we meet some of the non-Jews who make up the Jewish state. We visit El Masar Elementary School in Daliyat El Carmel and speak with Druze students, parents, and teachers affected by the war. We also meet Tareq Nassar and Mona Suliman of the Sinsila Center Beekeeping Project in East Jerusalem, which encourages Muslim women to cultivate profitable and climate-friendly beehives on their rooftops. Plus, a special visit to a 700-year-old Coptic Christian tattoo shop in Jerusalem’s Christian quarter, where one of our producers gets some ink.
Voices From Israel
From Tablet's Unorthodox Podcast: This week on Unorthodox, we’re sharing stories from Israel. We’ll hear firsthand from those who have faced unspeakable tragedy, and acted with incredible bravery in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7. You’ll hear from someone who escaped the Nova music festival, friends donating supplies in Tel Aviv, and a report from the missing persons center near Ben-Gurion Airport, where Israelis are coming in droves to look for information about their loved ones. This episode features a rendition of “Avinu Malkeinu” performed by Regina Spektor, and “Eli, Eli” sung by Jenny Penkin and J.Lamotta.
Walter Bingham
The horrific events of October 7th reminded many people of the darkest chapter in Jewish history - the Holocaust. And indeed, for the past six months, there have been as many comparisons to the Shoah as there have been critiques of those comparisons. Of the roughly 130,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel today, just under 10,000 reside in Jerusalem. Many of them participate in the Jerusalem Foundation’s, Café Europa which offers a physical meeting place, a wide range of social and cultural activities - concerts, lectures, memorials, workshops - and professional help in navigating the thickets of Israeli bureaucracy. We recently spent a morning at the Café Europa branch in Jerusalem’s German Colony neighborhood, where we heard all kinds of opinions about the Holocaust comparison. But the person with the strongest feelings on the matter just so happened to also be Café Europa’s oldest member - 100-year-old Walter Bingham.
Wartime Diaries: 100 Days
Today is the hundredth day of the war. And, though our Wartime Diaries series continues, we want to stop, mark this day and share 100 seconds of the many voices we’ve been hearing among - and around - us, since October 7th.
Where Are They Now?
17 of the 51 released Israeli hostages have touched our lives in these first seven episodes. Listen to the updates of their release.
Yair Rotem
13 year-old Hila Rotem and her mother Raya Rotem were kidnapped from their safe room in Kibbutz Be'eri. Raya's brother Yair survived and tells us their tormenting story.
Yam Sinai
“Don’t make any eye contact! Don’t let him see us! At least if he shoots us, we won't spend our last moment alive seeing him.”
Yaniv Yaakov
Yaniv's brother, Yair Yaakov, his two nephews, Or and Yagil Yaakov, and brother's girlfriend, Meirav Tal, were kidnapped into Gaza on October 7th. His nephews and brother's girlfriend were released from captivity, but Yaniv's brother remained. Months after this testimony, it was determined that Yaniv's brother was killed in the initial attack, and body is still being held in Gaza.
Highlighted testimonyYarin Levin
Yarin narrowly escaped the Nova festival under fire.
Yarnin Peled
Wars are often told through numbers – of the dead, the wounded, the missing, the misplaced. But behind each one of those numbers, there is – of course – a person, a family, a community whose life has been altered forever. For two weeks now we’ve been hearing survival stories, the likes of which we never imagined we’d hear again, at least not on this scale. This is one such story. The story of Yarnin Peled from Kibbutz Be’eri, who survived the carnage of October 7th.
Yehuda Simon
Yehuda's brother, Mordecai Simon, was murdered during the Hamas terrorist attack.
Yehudit Pelish Morley
Yehudit lives on Kibbutz Urim, a short distance from Gaza, and was caught in the rocket barrage without a safe room. She later helped care for the kibbutz's elderly residents.
Yonatan Shamriz
Yonatan Shamriz was with his pregnant wife and toddler when terrorists stormed their kibbutz. They celebrated their daughter’s birthday in their safe room, while across the kibbutz his younger brother, Alon Shamriz, was kidnapped.
Highlighted testimonyYoussef Ziadna
Youssef, a bedouin Israeli mini-bus driver, saved around thirty partygoers fleeing the Nova party. Audio dubbed in English.
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