BySIDNEY BLASCO

A campaign launched on Wednesday to fund a ceremony commemorating 1,000 days since October 7 raised NIS 700,000 in the first 24 hours, organizers said.

The crowdfunding campaign is raising funds for the third national October 7 memorial ceremony, to be held in Hayarkon Park in Tel Aviv.

The National Remembrance Ceremony is organized by the KUMU movement and bereaved families, and will mark the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre and the war in Gaza.

Organizers said this will be the largest publicly funded memorial event in Israel’s history. It has a stated goal of NIS 2,000,000, and approximately 4,905 donors were responsible for over 38% of the total goal.

"I call on the entire people of Israel to come together and support the ceremony’s crowdfunding campaign again this year. Only in this way will we be able to stage a formative and historic event that will unite the people in pain and hope and remind millions of people around the world of what we went through,” said Yonatan Shamriz, one of the ceremony’s founders and the brother of Alon Shamriz.

HOMES ARE severely damaged after the Hamas October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. ‘Since October 7, many of my friends and colleagues here in Israel have wrestled deeply with their Jewish identity,’ says Orah.
HOMES ARE severely damaged after the Hamas October 7 massacre in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. ‘Since October 7, many of my friends and colleagues here in Israel have wrestled deeply with their Jewish identity,’ says Orah. (credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)

While not everyone donating or commenting will be able to attend the event, the website claims that the live viewers “on all major television, radio and content sites in the State of Israel, along with live broadcasts on 50 networks around the world,” will make this ceremony important for Israel.

Described as a “complex and highly invested production event,” the National Remembrance Ceremony says that they need the public's help “in order for us to create the greatest memorial event in the history of the country.”

Public backs October 7 memorial with NIS 700,000

While these donations will go directly towards the event, according to the website, billions of dollars have been fundraised for October 7 victim families and Israel in general.

The Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry estimated in the month after October 7 2023, about $1 billion had been donated to Israel-related causes, with $400 million coming in in the next six months.

Organizers said the campaign is just beginning and are asking for more donations.

“I call on everyone to join, support and donate,” said Omri Shifroni, one of the ceremony’s founders. “We have no one else. It is up to us.”