A delegation of ORT leaders has travelled across Israel meeting those affected by the October 7 attacks as part of an emotional and powerful experience to deepen their understanding of the past year’s events.
The delegation engaged with journalists, survivors, resilience counsellors, and leaders in Tel Aviv, across southern Israel and in Jerusalem.
Robert Grey, World ORT Chair, led the mission and said it had been a deeply moving few days.
“To see for ourselves the extent of the carnage wrought on the kibbutzim and sites in southern Israel was hugely affecting for our group. But equally, spending time with the Israelis who have worked so hard every day since October 7 to repair not just their physical surroundings, but their emotional and mental wellbeing, was incredibly uplifting,” he said.
“I am so proud of the immense effort being made by World ORT Kadima Mada staff across Israel to support our students and teachers at this time. Their bravery and sacrifice are truly inspiring. We treasured the time we had with our staff and children.”
At Kibbutz Nahal Oz, one of the closest kibbutzim to the Gaza border, the group heard a deeply moving account from Yifat Fiorentino, a member of the kibbutz who teaches at World ORT’s Kfar Silver Youth Village a few miles away. Her brother Ilan, head of a team of first responders, was killed while bravely defending the kibbutz.
Yifat shared the harrowing events of October 7, describing how at 6.29 am, when the first sirens blared, she and her husband, along with their two young children, moved to the shelter of their home.
They endured a tense and agonizing 13-hour wait, without water and food, and at times without electricity, until they were finally rescued by IDF troops.
She described how Ilan left behind a wife and three young children, and his sacrifice stands as a powerful testament to the courage and selflessness of many Israelis in the face of unimaginable danger.
Yifat Fiorentino and Bob Grey
From Kibbutz Nahal Oz, the participants continued to the stark and haunting Tkuma Memorial, where hundreds of charred and battered vehicles have been gathered. Most of these vehicles came from the Nova Festival, a place meant for celebration but transformed into a scene of horror. These burnt cars powerfully echo the immense loss of life and the anguish of that fateful day, each vehicle a sombre symbol of lives interrupted too soon.
The ORT group also heard the testimony of Doron Landau, whose son, Ben, survived the Nova music festival massacre. He recounted his son’s terrifying experience of being pursued by terrorists and finding refuge in a shelter, where he was eventually rescued after hours of hiding under the bodies of his murdered friends.
At the Nova site itself, another survivor, Yael Ze’evi, a 36-year-old married mother-of-two, described how she and her husband managed to escape by hiking and hitchhiking away from the site despite having both been shot by terrorist attackers.
During the group’s time at Kfar Silver, participants spoke to students who had experienced the anguish of October 7 first-hand. They heard about the work done at the village in the past year to provide mental health support and post-trauma assistance to address the students’ needs.
Following a solidarity dinner with students and staff, Esther Marcus, from Kibbutz Alumim – also near Kfar Silver and the Gaza border – spoke about how her work in resilience centers across Israel has grown to include hundreds of therapists treating more than 3,000 Israelis every week.
Isaac Touitou, Head of the Lycée ORT Daniel Mayer in Montreuil, Paris, said: “I feel the deepest emotion after our mission to Israel. The people we met have been so courageous in the way they have dealt with recent events.
“Those we met who were affected first-hand were extremely moving in telling their stories. We admire their ability to overcome the tragedies they have experienced, as well as their capacity to keep faith in life.”
He said the speaker sessions had “enlightened” the delegation and that their time together had been a moving collective experience.
In Tel Aviv, sessions included time with Dr. Michael Milshtein, who offered insights from his extensive background in Palestinian affairs and security, tracing the roots of the current conflict and considering scenarios for the future.
The group also visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, touring a special exhibit of photographs by Ziv Koren covering the time since October 7 last year in the kibbutzim near Gaza, images of released hostages and soldiers’ journeys to rehabilitation. A poignant visitor later took place to Hostage Square, an impactful reminder of the continued human cost of the ongoing conflict.
In Jerusalem the participants heard from veteran journalist David Horovitz who reflected on his experience of covering wartime politics, and from Khaled Abu Toameh, an Israeli Arab journalist, who offered a nuanced perspective on Palestinian affairs. Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, concluded the discussions and explained how the recent conflict impacts on coexistence between Palestinians and Jews in Jerusalem.
