It was the story of the late Shlomo Mansour, who survived the Farhud pogrom in Baghdad as a young child and was later murdered in Hamas captivity at age 85. His personal story has become a symbol of the unbroken chain of antisemitic violence that continues into the present.

The day of the expulsion, observed annually on November 30, seeks to remind the public of the fate of roughly 900,000 Jews who were forced to abandon everything and leave Arab countries and Iran. Although it was a formative historical event, it has yet to receive the recognition it deserves in Israeli public memory. The conference, initiated by the Dahan Center at Bar-Ilan University, headed by Dr. Shimon Ohayon, included testimonies from Jews from Libya, Egypt and Iraq, among them the testimony of Hadassah Lazar, Shlomo's sister.

Shlomo was born in Baghdad in 1938. At age three or four he experienced the Farhud, a brutal pogrom against Jews that left hundreds dead. Hadassah described her brother's account: "The rioters burst into the house, beat our parents and shot his dog in front of his eyes. He fled to the roof and saw two rioters throwing a Jewish baby from side to side like a ball. When they returned the baby to his mother he had already been impaled." According to her, "these are sights no child should ever witness yet for Shlomo they became part of his identity."

The hardships did not end when they immigrated to Israel in 1951 as part of Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. Hadassah described their early days: "We were placed in a transit camp in Atlit in tents and from there moved to the Talpiot maabara, to a small shack. Rain leaked in, the sun scorched, everything was rationed and scarce. It was a sharp fall from our warm home in Iraq to a life of difficulty and overcrowding."

She added that they arrived in a country that was supposed to be home, yet found a daily struggle instead. Integration was difficult. When the family refused to move to Beersheba because they wanted to reach Jerusalem, the establishment punished them by withholding food coupons. "Shlomo, in his wisdom, took my brother who was nine and the two searched through garbage for unburned food coupons. That is how he saved the family. It is unbelievable that in the Land of Israel, the promised home, they were punished with food." Despite everything, she said, Shlomo found the strength to rise above it: "With his generous heart he always found a way to overcome hardship."

Shlomo later joined Kibbutz Kissufim, where he became one of the central figures in the community. "Salt of the earth, a man of endless giving and the beating heart of the kibbutz, his sister said. That is who he was all his life. No matter what he had been through he always chose to see the person, to lend a hand, to strengthen, to encourage and to create goodness around him. That, she said, is how she wants him to be remembered. Not only through the horrors he lived through but through the light he radiated."

But history returned with cruelty. "Not in Iraq, not in Poland but here in the promised land Shlomo was taken from us forever, yet his light remains and serves as our beacon."

At the close of the conference Dr. Ohayon said: "The Farhud and October 7 are two chapters of the same antisemitism. In the past it came from Arab regimes and today it comes from Hamas. It is the same hatred, the same pattern. This is a story that must return to the center because it is an inseparable part of the Israeli story."

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"The terrorists guarding me were mentally unstable. They could be fine for a while and then suddenly become extremely cruel. One of them asked me: You want to film a porn movie? He started touching me, kissing my back, my neck and my throat. He told me he loved me. It was extremely uncomfortable. At some point his hand stopped on my chest. My heart was pounding. He asked: 'Are you scared?'"

"He took me aside and threatened that if I ever told anyone he would kill me. In another incident he took me, pulled down his pants. I told him: 'This is forbidden in Islam.' He rubbed his genitals against my rectum for several minutes."

Gilboa Dalal returned from Hamas captivity after 738 days. He was abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7 along with his childhood friend Evyatar David. Recalling the abduction during the massacre, he said: "Bullets were whistling past me, hitting the ground. I don't know how nothing struck me. I started running to the bushes with Evyatar. All I could think was: F***, I'm going to die now."

"Suddenly a terrorist pointed a rifle at my head. One of them dragged me to a vehicle and forced me onto my knees. I was sure they were going to execute me. I said to myself: At least the death will be quick. Then they threw Elkanah Buchbut and Bar Kuperstein inside, and then I saw Evyatar. They drove us around the city of Gaza, shouting: 'Jewish pigs.' We were forbidden to talk to each other or even look at one another. The beginning was horrific. I cried all day. I was sure there were at most 10 hostages."

Describing the day they filmed the brutal propaganda video in which he was forced to watch the release of other hostages, he said: "Alon Ahel and I know each other from the army. I didn't know he had been taken. I was in shock when they put him in the car. I wasn't happy he was a hostage, but I was relieved to see a familiar face."

President Isaac Herzog addressed Gilboa Dalal's testimony about the sexual assaults he endured in Hamas captivity, saying: "The very fact that he was willing to stand before the cameras, expose his wounds and give words to what is almost impossible to comprehend is an act of immeasurable courage."

The president added: "The world must hear this shocking testimony, must internalize that there was horrific sexual violence committed by Hamas, systematic and continued, on October 7 and afterward. Guy, you are teaching us yet another lesson. You are shedding light on the terrible darkness of the tunnels and what was inside them, so that our society and the entire world can understand what truly happened there. A young man carrying on his shoulders cruelty that no human being should ever bear."

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The Hatikva Project extends its mission of honoring victims, uplifting communities, and building resilience through sacred Jewish music. Featured vocalists include Hanan Yovel, Sivan Talmor, Shai Tsabari, Anat Moshkovski, and Dr. Sharon Azrieli.

Concert performances scheduled from October 21 through October 28 will feature tickets available for purchase at 25 shekels ($7), with performances taking place in venues nationwide.

Eleven of Israel's leading orchestras will perform alongside hundreds of musicians in concert halls throughout the country, presenting sacred Jewish music and original compositions. Public ticket sales have commenced at the accessible price point.

Dr. Sharon Azrieli created The Hatikva Project for the Azrieli Foundation, launching the initiative in 2024 to showcase Jewish classical and liturgical music's beauty and therapeutic qualities. "Once again — from psalms and piyyutim to modern works by composers such as Paul Ben-Haim, Tzvi Avni, Mark Kopytman and Hanan Yovel – each performance will blend past and present, weaving together voices of tradition with fresh, inspiring interpretations," the announcement stated.

Performance highlights include an October 21 opening concert in Tel Aviv featuring Raanana Symphonette and Young Philharmonic Orchestra with vocalists Hanan Yovel and Sivan Talmor. October 22 will feature a musical marathon with Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra performing in Jerusalem, Israeli Andalusian Orchestra in Ashdod, Jerusalem Orchestra East & West with Shai Tsabari, Livnat Ben Hamo, and Ziv Yehezkel in Rehovot, and Israel Camerata Jerusalem with Anat Moshkovski in Netanya.

October 24 concerts will present the Israeli Chamber Ensemble in Tel Aviv and the Sinfonietta Be'er Sheva in Beer Sheva, while October 27 features the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra in Karmiel. The grand finale on October 28 in Kiryat Gat will showcase the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion with Dr. Sharon Azrieli.

The Azrieli Foundation has dedicated more than 35 years to programs spanning education, arts, music, culture, science, medical research, architecture, design, Jewish community initiatives, and Holocaust education and commemoration across Canada and Israel. The foundation operates several initiatives, including the Azrieli Music, Arts, and Culture Centre, the Azrieli Fellows Program, the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, and the Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program.

Against the backdrop of the exciting news during the holiday, this is an opportunity to embrace the long-awaited return of the living hostages, while echoing the anticipation for the return of the hostages.

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The date marks two years since the coordinated terror attack on southern Israel in 2023, in which some 1,200 people were murdered and 252 taken hostage. The memorial takes place amid renewed international mediation efforts to advance US President Donald Trump's hostage release framework.

The ceremony was co-hosted by Ashira Greenberg, widow of Lt. Col. Tomer Greenberg, and actor Tsahi Halevi, who fought on October 7 in the defense of Kibbutz Kfar Aza.

In his opening remarks, Halevi said: "To the citizens of Israel and the Jewish people here and abroad—thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is because of you that this moving ceremony is happening and being broadcast live to millions of people and hundreds of communities worldwide. This evening belongs to all of us. We are united in love for those we lost."

Ashira Greenberg also addressed the crowd, saying: "Tonight, we also embrace the families of the 48 hostages still in captivity, who are waiting with bated breath for news of their return. Dear families: An entire nation is waiting with you for good news. We will not be whole until your loved ones return to us. In worry and in hope—you are not alone. We are with you."

Mazi Eilon, widow of Tal Eilon, commander of the Kibbutz Kfar Aza rapid response team, described her husband's bravery: "Tal and his team engaged in fierce battles with the terrorists who reached our doorstep. His self-sacrifice and courage, and that of his fellow responders, saved thousands of lives that day across the Gaza border region." She recalled the moment he left their home: "At 6:29 a.m., the house shook. You left. Commander of the response team. Brave, alert, strong as always."

Omer Shem Tov, who was released from Hamas captivity in the most recent hostage deal, shared his experience: "October 7. The date that became a turning point in our lives. On a morning of joy, celebrating with friends, one moment changed everything. That night we were kids dancing through life. By morning, everything was shattered. Innocence, routine, security, all broken. Faced with horror, we had a choice: sink or fight for the light. And within that darkness, light emerged. The light of people who did not give up. Who rose, stepped forward, ran to the field, to the command posts, to help, to save, to love. They taught us what true mutual responsibility means."

Two mothers of hostages also addressed their sons: Viki Cohen, mother of Nimrod Cohen, and Anat Angrest, mother of Matan Angrest.

Viki: "I remember the first time they placed you beside me, your first breath, the look I knew would follow me forever." Anat: "I remember you learning to walk, falling and getting back up, your eyes searching for mine with each tiny step. I remember your first drawing, still in the drawer. Your first lost tooth."

Viki continued: "I remember when you jumped into the water without fear. The day you brought me a shell and said, 'Mom, listen to the waves.'" Anat: "I remember your bar mitzvah speech, your steady voice, those words always with me." Viki: "I remember how you grew into a young man in high school, suddenly standing next to your dad in the morning, shaving. I remember your prom, so happy, spreading your wings."

Anat: "I remember the day you enlisted, the smile in your new uniform, your eyes shining with pride and purpose." Viki: "I hugged you, I was happy for you, and terrified. I remember our last holiday together, the hug that was too short, and your words still echoing: 'Take care of yourself, and don't be a hero for me.'"

Viki: "I remember the exact place I stood when I was told you had been taken hostage. The moment the ground vanished beneath my feet. For two years now, all the light has gone, and you are shivering in the dark, deep in the tunnels." Anat: "I know you are in pain, and I cannot hold you. I hear you whispering, 'Come, Mom,' and I cannot protect you."

Viki concluded: "But my child, I swear: I am not giving up! An entire nation is not giving up on you. An entire nation is fighting for you."

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The installation, which spans 1.5 kilometers (nearly a mile), transforms an abstract horror into something tangible and deeply personal. Each chair bears the photograph of a victim, a memorial candle, fresh flowers, and a short account of that individual's life—a chilling reminder that behind every number was a person with a family, dreams, and a stolen future.

Fighting misinformation

Choosing Columbia as the site for the memorial was no coincidence. The prestigious American university has, over the past two years, become one of the most prominent stages for anti-Israel demonstrations and a wave of antisemitism that has silenced many voices and distorted the truth about the massacre.

The organizers set themselves a clear mission: to pierce the fog of misinformation surrounding the October 7 attacks and to bring to light the stories of horror that have been suppressed on campus. Their goal is to remind the academic world—and the students within it—of the true human cost of terrorism, not through abstract words but through the faces and stories of those who are no longer with us.

'We will not let hatred silence the truth'

Amit Deri, chairman of the organization DiploAct, explained the choice of Columbia University: "We came to Columbia not only because it has been the site of the harshest anti-Israel protests over the past two years, but because it has become a symbol of the wave of antisemitism sweeping campuses worldwide. We came to say, loud and clear, that we will not let hatred silence the truth. We are here to remind students and the entire world what really happened on that dark day."

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The system told me to wait, to sit quietly until the situation became clearer. But deep down, I knew I didn't have that privilege. I chose to defy that order, a difficult decision that stays with me to this day, but one that saved me and the people I met later. No one could give me a real picture of what was happening. I built it myself, from confused messages, from horrifying videos, and from the strong sense that this time everything was truly different.

Halfway down south, I pulled over to the side of the road. Sitting in a trembling car, my pulse racing, I held my phone and tried to record a farewell message for my children. I knew this was the day my life might end. It wasn't a dramatic gesture but a simple truth: I didn't know if I would see them again. I wanted them to hear from me, in my own voice, that I loved them, that I was proud of them, that I was with them even if I never came back. The words stuck, the tears choked me, but in the end I managed to whisper something, enough to leave them a living memory.

We reached the Alumim Junction. Within just 150 meters around me lay 56 bodies, inside and outside the kibbutz. A heavy silence covered the area, broken only by the smell of burning and blood filling the air.

The sights, the sounds, the stories of the survivors and the dead in Be'eri are etched into me to this day. An entire community fought for its life, while I, in its midst, tried to gather the fragments.

I did not return the same person

Days later I came home. I was not the same person. In many ways, it was a return to life itself—after having come so close to death. Miriam, my children, my home—everything looked different. Suddenly every breath, every glance, every hug became a great gift. Two years have passed since then. The memory does not fade, the scars do not close. But out of the destruction also grows a mission: to tell the story so that no one can say "we didn't know." So the world will understand, and so we can have at least one solace, that from the blood and the fire, the simple promise was reborn: to live.

That is how my book "My Brother" came to be. Writing allowed me to grasp once again the threads that had been torn apart, to give meaning to the pain and the shock, and to turn them into a living testimony and a call to life. We established a leadership academy at Kibbutz Nir Oz as part of the rebuilding process. Nir Oz, which became a symbol of destruction, will become a symbol of courage and renewal. The story of Nir Oz, we hope, will become the story of us all.

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By the end of that horrific day, the scale of the massacre began to emerge: one in four residents had been murdered or kidnapped. In total, 117 girls and boys, elderly men and women were either murdered or abducted, more than a quarter of Nir Oz's population.

Sixty-four residents were murdered, including at least 14 who were taken alive from their homes and later murdered in captivity.

Seventy-six people, children, men and women, were kidnapped from Nir Oz on October 7. Nine remain in captivity: David and Ariel Cunio, Eitan Horn, Matan Zangauker, Amiram Cooper, Tamir Adar, Ronen Engel, Aryeh (Zalman) Zalmanovich and Eliyahu (Churchill) Margalit.

Forty women and children were released as part of the November 2023 agreement. Two hostages were returned in a unilateral move by Hamas. Nine more, men and women, were released in a second agreement signed in January 2025.

Twelve murdered hostages were returned to Israel for burial following military operations. Another six, who had been kidnapped alive and murdered in captivity, were returned for burial under the second agreement.

The homes of the kibbutz were damaged, looted and set on fire, with the residents still inside.

Every home in Nir Oz has a story. In a community-driven initiative, residents have shared their personal accounts of those stories, in their own words. This ongoing, one-of-a-kind project presents firsthand testimonies, photos and videos from both past and present.

The stories published here include only those families who agreed to share their experiences with Israel Hayom. Additional testimonies and stories can be found on the Nir Oz kibbutz website.

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Messages from neighbors kept coming: "They're breaking into our house," "They're shooting at us," "We love you." Each one felt like a farewell. And us? We just waited for our turn.

The door burst open. Karma, our dog, barked. Four gunshots. A shout in Arabic: "Enough." Then silence, the most terrifying silence I have ever heard. They reached the door of the reinforced room. The handle began to turn. I held on. Pressed hard. They pushed, and I fought for my life, for Moran's, for Benaya's and Sinai's. In my heart I screamed over and over: "Shema Yisrael."

A burning tire was shoved into the ventilation opening. Smoke filled the room. The power went out. We were choking. We tried to raise our hands, to surrender, but the door wouldn't open. We jumped out the window, fell into the bushes and hid under a small palm tree. They passed right by us, centimeters away, and we froze – exposed, powerless.

Five hours of hell. We saw them looting our lives, heard the horrors coming from nearby homes. Flames that started inside our house spread into the yard. Again we were choking. Again our eyes burned. Again that bitter taste in our mouths.

We slipped onto the path. Moran froze. I shouted at her to move, but she was in shock. I ran to her, pushed her forward. In that moment bullets whistled past. They were shooting at us from the rooftops. We kept running and reached a grove. I found a pile of cut branches, built a small mound and dug in under it. Another five hours.

Then suddenly, red lights. I froze, thinking it was Hamas. Ten minutes of unbearable tension – then a voice in Hebrew. I shouted: "Soldier, we're an Israeli family with two children!" It was a team from Shayetet 13, the Israel Navy's elite commando unit. They had blown open the fence and surrounded us. Moran was crying.

The body survived, the heart did not

We walked through the horrors: the burned houses, the neighbors who were no longer there, and finally the Nova music festival site. Children lying by the roadside. Some burned inside cars. The body survived. The heart less so.

And still there's one thing I can't understand. How did our children, three and a half years old, stay silent for 14 hours? They didn't cry. They didn't scream. Even when terrorists passed by. Even when they shot at us. I have no answer. That is the greatest miracle of that day.

The handle. The palm tree. The miracle. Not just symbols of a terrible day, but the story of my life. A day I relive again and again with every breath.

Since then I don't stay silent. I write. I sing. I tell. To remember. To understand. To hold on to the handle, even when it's no longer there.

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October 7. A convoy of colorful cars on the way to paradise. Costumes, fairies, love on the dance floors. Then, with the sunrise, the dream turned into a nightmare. We left the Nova festival—me, Asaf, Stav and Itay—thinking it was just another morning near the Gaza border. At the Re'im Junction, 10 terrorists on motorcycles, gunfire, soldiers lying bleeding. Somehow we got through, but at the next junction we found dismembered bodies and people crying out for help.

We had no choice but to turn back, through the terrorists. It was a hard decision, but there was no other option. Full throttle. Bullets from every direction, windows shattering, the engine nearly giving out. Stav was injured by glass, but we kept going. We tried to reach Be'eri when Einav called, screaming, "Don't come, there's a terrorist infiltration."

During the traffic jam, I spotted terrorists approaching again. I screamed for everyone to get out of the car. We ran to the festival's operations room, which looked like a safe place. I didn't make it inside with Stav and Asaf. I ran toward the festival tents. Someone I knew grabbed my hand, and we ran together until we found shelter under the main stage. Dozens of people were there. Pleading, blood, tears, total silence.

After two hours, we heard a call to run south. It was "the run of death." People fell one after another. In a wadi, about 50 of us hid. Phone batteries died, hope drained away. One man was shot in the leg, another in the shoulder, two were having panic attacks. One of the police officers told me to dig a hole and hide until rescue came. I called my mother and begged her not to come. I cried quietly.

When we heard terrorists with RPGs, I knew it was time to escape. I left the hiding place with a Muslim man who offered to help me. Ten minutes in the forest felt like an eternity. When we reached police officers, they directed us to a waiting vehicle. At a checkpoint we met soldiers. I called my mother and told her I was in safe hands. She cried with relief.

Giving meaning to the story

On the way back I saw the horrors: burned-out cars, blood, exhausted soldiers. When I reached Orim, I thought the nightmare was over, but it wasn't. Stav and Asaf were missing. Four days later, I was told that Stav Barazani  had been murdered. Twelve days later came the news about Asaf Edberg. May their memory be a blessing.

I am alive, but the wounds remain deep. From all the evil, I realized one thing: I must go on living, to give my story meaning. Today I tell it, share it, speak on stages. I perform in the play "Trigger Warning," practice breathwork and cold exposure therapy, and find healing through the Nova Tribe community. That is my strength, not just to survive, but to touch the hearts of others, so that we never forget.

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The new website can be viewed at: https://www.october7files.com/

The website is called "October 7 Files – Organized Evil". Its purpose is to provide a complete picture regarding the background to the massacre, the preparations for it, its horrifying execution, including real-time documentation, and its subsequent implications.

Among other things, it is intended to refute claims by Hamas supporters worldwide that there were no atrocities and that the outbreak of sick and mass violence on that day was supposedly "resistance to Israeli occupation and siege". Additionally, the website shows that the attack on southern communities was an act of premeditated genocide – contrary to the slanders being spread worldwide that Israel is the one perpetrating genocide in Gaza.

The website will be promoted on social networks, major websites, and search engines online, particularly in the US and Europe. This is so that those seeking information about the massacre will be exposed to the event as it truly was. The expectation is also that artificial intelligence engines, which read content sites, will draw information from it.

The website was established at the initiative of Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, with funding from the ministry he heads, although this ministry does not manage the advocacy field. Some of the content included on the site is found as physical exhibits at the Intelligence Heritage Center in Glilot and has been digitized. Others were taken from other information sources.

The new website presents, among other things, original documents in Yahya Sinwar's handwriting, along with their English translations. They explicitly state that as many residents as possible should be killed in the south, "to behead and murder heads of families".

The website also presents detailed instructions to terrorists on how to photograph and document the acts and broadcast them live. "Wipe the mobile phone camera lens well from dust before filming. Make sure the phone is charged, and if charging is needed, use the available power battery. Do not answer incoming calls on the SIM card, especially not from unknown numbers. Turn on the phone only moments before starting the mission".

Additionally, the maps used by the terrorists are displayed, the extensive involvement of Gazan "civilians" in the massacre, the use of hospitals, educational institutions, and UN facilities in Gaza as Hamas headquarters and bases, as well as Hamas' use of civilians as human shields and its deliberate harm to Israeli civilians, in violation of the laws of war.

"There is no other such website for the State of Israel," says Hadas Mimon, head of senior division – consciousness, at the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism. "We wanted to show how much planning there was here for the massacre, how much advance investment with detailed and precise preparations, including, for example, a spiritual file for Nukhba terrorists with 'religious permits' to do what they did. It's chilling to see Sinwar's handwritten instructions for carrying out all these things. Here, everything related to the massacre is presented for the first time, in an organized manner from beginning to end".

Mimon hopes that Israel supporters worldwide will draw information from the new website. She also adds that it provides all the evidence showing that Hamas is the one that committed genocide on October 7. "Genocide means deliberately killing innocent civilians as part of a plan and on a mass scale. On the website, we show exactly how they committed genocide. That is, there are written instructions to harm civilians, families, and heads of families, and not just soldiers".

Mimon also notes that artificial intelligence engines draw information from texts and not from videos and photos, and therefore, over time, the website's content will influence how many people worldwide will form their perception of reality regarding the October 7 massacre.

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