Faces of October 7th

What is the Faces of October 7th Project?

After October 7th, a small group of young Jewish professionals felt the urgent need to help communities around the world understand realities of the massacre from people who were really there, face-face.

We needed to combat the lacking media coverage on the topic as well as the spreading misinformation and justification for the attack. We also wanted to inspire strength and resilience in Jews and allies fighting antisemitism. And finally, the initiative would also provide therapeutic support to the survivors themselves, sharing their heavy burden.

So far, we brought over 15 first-hand survivors of the October 7th massacre to share their testimony in over 200 communities across the world, including 80 college campuses.

Now, we're a new non-profit with a mission to build the world's understanding of Israel through face-face connections.

We have grown in demand from eager communities and survivors faster than we can keep up. And we are empowered to build even more initiatives. We're a newly incorporated non-profit on the brink of becoming a much bigger movement. We will create spaces for thousands more to profoundly connect to realities of the region and empower strong young voices facing antisemitism.

Why do we do this work?

We feel that this is our “reserve duty.” As professionals with deep personal and professional connections to campuses now brimming with October 7th justifiers, deniers and misinformation, we needed to act. Our collective network of strong young adults in Israel and the US allows us to create bridges between the communities and facilitate the specific support they need most from each other at this moment.

First-hand survivor testimony humanizes the tragedy of October 7th beyond mere statistics and challenges the narratives spread by Hamas supporters. Attendees and reporters later share these stories on social media and local papers. The people that so many “activists” are cheering for the annihilation of, now have a face and a story and have bravely stood among them.

These events also bring together and empower Jewish students and all diaspora Jews, who feel isolated, scared and emotionally depleted, and they allow them to mourn as a community. The survivors inspire us all with their example of courage, resilience, and the strength in the face of antisemitism.

Lastly, many survivors find the work of sharing their story cathartic and healing. While they may feel like the world is against them, they can travel town to town visiting communities ready to listen and show their support.

How does the project operate?

We've made contact with many survivors compelled to share their story. Volunteers with professional international leadership experience meet with them and evaluate them for English skills, public speaking ability, etc. Then a professional psychologist evaluates them to ensure that the journey will be beneficial, not harmful to their mental health at their current stage of processing the trauma. So far, we’ve made an initial connection with 100 survivors. Many of whom are prepared to hop on a plane and begin the journey of sharing their testimony as soon as we can procure funds and plan their itineraries.

Simultaneously 300+ communities have filled out our website's interest form. They range from college campus organizations, Jewish Federations and synagogues, to churches, youth groups, high schools and other non-profits.

Finally, we arrange all the logistics. We create an approximately 10-day travel itinerary, arrange for a volunteer liaison to accompany the survivor on the journey, manage all their arrangements and ensure each event unfolds professionally. We work hard to make the most out of each survivor’s trip, sharing their testimony with 1-2 communities every day, connecting them to as many local reporters and journalists as possible, etc. But we also work hard to ensure the survivors are well cared for, have the space they need to decompress, are receiving proper therapy, etc.

Why do we need your help?

First, we cannot keep up with the demand. Currently, we have a waiting list of nearly 100 campuses and community leaders pleading with us to bring a survivor to them as soon as possible and the list grows every day.

More than anything, we want to fulfill every single one of these opportunities. This money will allow us to fund more of the programs on our current wait list, have more flexibility with lower-budget communities, and begin orchestrating even more initiatives.

Please donate and spread the word throughout your networks to help connect the world to the faces of October 7th.

------------------------------------------------------------

If you or anyone you know is interested in getting involved or learning more check out our website, www.facesofoct7.com and follow us on Instagram @facesofoctoberseventh