A staged reading of Love at the End of the Tunnel, a play about former hostages Aviva and Keith Siegel’s love story and captivity, will be performed at Habima Theatre on October 6 and 7.
It is the first production of the October 7 Global Memorial Project, an international initiative to preserve the memory of the Hamas massacre through theater, film, exhibitions, books, and other cultural projects.
Launched ahead of the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks, the initiative seeks to bring the stories of survivors and hostages to audiences in Israel and abroad, while documenting the events for future generations.
Eytan Schwartz, a public diplomacy and international relations specialist, founded the project after spending 15 years leading international affairs for the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality. Since the outbreak of the war, he has focused on documenting October 7.
The Siegel play, a collaboration between Schwartz and playwright Michal Aharoni, stars Sandra Sade and Moni Moshonov. Performances are planned for the US.
A second production, a one-person play based on former hostage Omer Wenkert’s story, is scheduled to premiere in 2027. Schwartz and Meron Sasson are writing it.
The initiative is also developing an English-language feature film in partnership with Kastina Communications.
Funding for the October 7 Global Memorial Project’s productions will come from philanthropists, foundations, and organizations committed to documenting October 7 and preserving its memory.
Memorial initiative based on two October 7 documentaries
The new venture builds on two documentaries produced in partnership with Kastina Communications and philanthropists Carol and Joey Low: Screams Before Silence and The Children of October 7.
Screams Before Silence, featuring interviews conducted by Sheryl Sandberg, examines the sexual violence committed by Hamas terrorists during the attacks.
According to the organizers, it has screened at the White House, the US Congress, and 20 parliaments worldwide, aired on 20 television networks, and been translated into 18 languages.
The Children of October 7 features activist and social media influencer Montana Tucker in conversations with children who survived the massacre.
The organizers said Paramount+ acquired the documentary for streaming in 20 countries.
Other activities include bringing international journalists and influencers to the attack sites in southern Israel and advising on From Here We Rise, a video-mapping installation by photographer Ziv Koren and writer Noam Horev. The installation, documenting the past three years, is currently displayed on the rooftop of the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv.
The project’s advisory board brings together survivors, bereaved relatives of those killed on Oct. 7 or in the subsequent war, and specialists in documentation, diplomacy, and communications.
October 7 survivors amongst project's board members
Members of the board include Israel Prize laureate Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, founder of the Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children; Anat and Shimon Elkabetz, founders of Sivan’s House in Kibbutz Kfar Aza; and Ella Shani, a survivor of the massacre at Kibbutz Be’eri.
Also serving are Dr. Tsuriel Rashi of Ariel University; Uwe Becker, the German state of Hesse’s commissioner for combating antisemitism; Eran Masas, a recipient of Israel’s Medal of Civilian Heroism; and Joanna Landau, a nation-branding and strategic communications specialist.
“Documenting the stories of October 7 is the mission of our generation,” Schwartz said in a statement. “On that terrible morning, we awoke not only to a catastrophe of biblical proportions, but also to a machinery of denial on a scale humanity had never before witnessed.
“This new initiative is one piece of a much larger mosaic of people and organizations around the world working to ensure that the memory of these events continues to live on for generations to come.”