'Children of October 7' documentary with Montana Tucker premieres in Jerusalem

The documentary The Children of October 7, which was made with the participation of singer/influencer Montana Tucker, had an emotional premiere screening on Monday night at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem. Among the attendees were President Isaac Herzog, his wife, Michal, and Tucker.

The documentary, which was directed by Asaf Becker, features Tucker interviewing several children who survived the Hamas terrorist attack. The children and their families, Tucker, Herzog, former hostage Noa Argamani, and Museum of Tolerance CEO Jonathan Riss also toured the museum exhibit on the October 7 massacre, called “06:29: From Darkness to Light,” which uses photographs and testimonies to tell the story of that day.

Tucker, who has more than 14 million followers on social media, has been speaking out about the October 7 massacre since it happened. She has visited Israel several times over the past year and posted interviews and a dance video at the site of the Supernova music festival, where more than 360 people were killed, to her followers around the world.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post following the screening, Tucker said although her grandfather has passed away and her grandmother is currently very ill, she was sure that the two of them, both Holocaust survivors, would be proud of her for working on this documentary.

“My mom always says that my zayde [Yiddish for grandfather] lives inside of me,” Tucker said. “My zayde would talk to every single person he met about the Holocaust and would share his story… I think of him in everything that I do, in the work that I do. My grandparents are my biggest inspiration in the work that I do. They taught me what it means to be strong, and to never give up, and to stand up for what is right.”

Asked what haunts her after interviewing the children for the documentary, she said: “Like one of the girls said, this could have happened to anyone… This could have happened to me. I could have been at Nova. If I was in Israel and I had been asked to perform at Nova, I probably would have gone.

So, you think about that. I built such strong relationships with the people I met making this movie. So, they’re a part of me now. This has become so personal to me. It’s not just a project I’m working on or something I’m doing for social media. This is my life and my soul.”

A title at the beginning of the 35-minute film reminds viewers that 38 children were killed by Hamas terrorists on October 7, and 42 were taken hostage, two of whom, the brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas, are still being held in Gaza.The testimonies of the children interviewed in the film are extremely harrowing simply to listen to, and it is hard to imagine what these moments were like to live through. After the screening, the director said a psychologist was on set to help the children and to advise the filmmakers.

Perhaps the most upsetting moments of all were not made by the movie crew but were from a video livestream that Hamas terrorists posted on Facebook of the Idan family on Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

Yael Idan, 12, explains in a steady voice what we see on the video: Hamas terrorists shot and killed her 18-year-old sister, Maayan, held the entire family hostage in their home, and then kidnapped her father, Tsachi, to Gaza. He is still being held there.

In the video, gunshots can be heard, and the terrorists yell at them, as Yael, sobbing, struggles to comprehend that her sister is dead. “It’s like, everything that feels safe for you wasn’t safe anymore,” says Yael in the documentary.

Some of the saddest moments are the ones before the massacre. There is a clip of Rotem Matias’s mother greeting him on his 16th birthday, a few months before October 7, joking around and telling him he can now legally have a drink in Berlin.

Rotem’s family lived on Kibbutz Holit, and his parents protected him with their bodies when Hamas shot into their house and threw a grenade at them. Both his parents were killed. Rotem was shot and badly wounded but lived.“My parents saved me and gave me a second chance at life,” says Rotem, who now lives with his uncle.

Eitan Yahalomi was 12 when terrorists entered Kibbutz Nir Oz, shooting his father and putting him, his mother, and his two younger sisters on motorcycles headed into Gaza. He recalls how his sister Yael was on the motorcycle with him, but because she was crying, they put her on the motorcycle with his mother and other sister.

The terrorists left the motorcycle with the mother and daughters unattended for a moment, and they were able to flee, pretending to be dead for hours, while Eitan was taken into Gaza and held there for 52 days, much of the time alone in a cell guarded by terrorists.

When he entered Gaza, he was beaten by a mob and later was forced to watch videos of the terrorists killing people, some of whom he knew, and when he cried, he was threatened by them at gunpoint.Eitan’s father, Ohad, is still being held in Gaza.

Perhaps the most hopeful moments in the film detail the children’s resilience in the face of crushing loss. Eitan is shown riding a motorcycle, which he clearly loves, and he says with a grin that he will not let Hamas stop him from enjoying this pastime.

Others interviewed in the film include Alona Rousso and Yella Rousso of Kfar Aza, whose father, Uri, was murdered while defending the kibbutz; Amit Cohen of Nir Oz, who describes how his father was shot, and that the same bullet that passed through his father’s leg hit his dog; and Ella Shani, of Kibbutz Be’eri, whose father was killed and who said in a message she recorded for him that she realizes how much he loved her, although they had a troubled relationship.

Tucker took no compensation for her work on the film and asked that any profits go to rebuilding the southern communities that were attacked.

A year of spreading the message

At a panel discussion with some of the children and the filmmakers after the screening, she said: “This past year, over a year, has completely changed my life. When I started doing this, it was just something I knew I had to do; there was something inside of me that told me I had to do this, and there was no other option… That’s why I have come back to Israel so often: to share the personal stories with you.”

Tucker compared the denial of the massacre to Holocaust denial. “When I would hear Holocaust denial, I would always not understand how people could deny the Holocaust, since we have all the proof in the world,” she said. “And now, what’s happening in the US and around the world with denial of October 7, when, as you saw, Hamas livestreamed what they were doing for the world to see; they weren’t trying to hide it. I know it sounds like we’re all screaming and no one is listening, but a lot of the content that I have posted has made a difference.”

Many people have posted comments, saying their perspective has changed after seeing what she posted, Tucker said, although she admitted she initially had lost hundreds of thousands of followers, and that she continues to receive death threats because of her advocacy for Israel.

The Children of October 7 was produced by Kastina Communications, which also produced Sheryl Sandberg’s documentary about sexual violence during the October 7 massacre, Screams Before Silence. AID-Coalition also helped produce the film.

Among the speakers before the documentary was screened was Sigal Manzuri, whose two daughters, Norelle and Roya Manzuri, both US citizens, were among those murdered at the Supernova music festival on October 7, along with Amit Cohen, Norelle’s boyfriend.

Manzuri received the devastating news that Norelle had been murdered while observing the shiva mourning period for Roya and during a Zoom call with US President Joe Biden, who reportedly burst into tears when he heard.

The “06:29” exhibit was curated by Malchi Shem Tov, the father of Omer Shem Tov, who was kidnapped to Gaza and is still being held captive by Hamas. It was narrated by Ella Shani, one of the interviewees in the documentary. It features photographs by Ziv Koren and clips by documentary filmmakers Noam Shalev and Kobi Sitt. It is recommended for ages 16 and up.

Tucker said she would never stop fighting for Israel. “The more hate I get, the more it shows me even more why I must do this and why I must continue to speak out… I will continue to do everything that I can with my voice and my talent and everything I have to keep standing for you all,” Tucker said.