It was a moving and emotional night at the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, where former hostages, families of hostages, and child survivors of the October 7 massacre gathered for the premiere of the documentary film “The Children of October 7.”
‘THE CHILDREN OF OCT. 7TH’
(ILTV)
The film, presented by singer, dancer, actress, and pro-Israel activist Montana Tucker, shares the testimonies of the children who survived the horrors of Hamas' massacre and showcases their incredible resilience.
“I said this up there, and I'll say it again: I've done a lot of incredible things in my life, but this, by far, is the most important, the most meaningful, most impactful thing that I think I'll ever be able to do,” Tucker told ILTV. “These children that I've met and these stories that I've heard will stay with me forever.
“And you know, it's something I say about just Israelis in general, the strength and resilience. But people don't understand what these kids have really gone through, and what they continue to go through,” Tucker continued. “I interviewed them a year after the attack, and you still see the trauma, and you still see what they are going through every day—the loss of their parents, the memories of them being a hostage. But their stories need to be heard and told everywhere, especially with all the denial that is going on in the world.”
Tucker said that she lives in America but has visited Israel many times since October 7 because she feels the need to “be here on the ground to share the personal stories. And I think this documentary is going to really open a lot of people's eyes.”
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President Isaac Herzog at the premiere of "The Children of October 7"
(Montanna Tucker at The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem)
The screening was attended by Israel's President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog, who, along with Tucker, met with the children and their families ahead of the premiere.
Among the many testimonies in the film is the harrowing story of 16-year-old Rotem Matias, who witnessed the murder of both of his parents by Hamas terrorists. He hid under his deceased mother's body for hours, allowing him to survive.
Eitan Yahalomi, 12, was taken hostage into Gaza and held captive for 52 days before being released in a hostage deal. The film highlights the enduring trauma he and the other children continue to face.
“My grandparents are Holocaust survivors,” Tucker said. “I grew up hearing their stories my whole life. My grandmother was 13 years old, and she was taken to Auschwitz and had to see her mother get beaten up and dragged to her death in the gas chambers. And I grew up hearing those stories, and so hearing the stories of these children reminded me so much of my grandmother and the stories that she would tell me.”
Tucker said she is grateful she was asked to take part in the project.
“You know, I do a lot with children when it comes to dancing and singing. If you look through my social media, you'll see that. So, this was an extension of me, and to work with children in such a different way,” she told ILTV. “I'm really honored that they [the children] felt comfortable enough sharing their stories with me.”
Tucker added that she hopes the film will help combat the denial of the atrocities of October 7 and the growing tides of antisemitism, particularly among the younger generation.
Following the ceremony, Tucker and Museum of Tolerance CEO Jonathan Riss toured the museum exhibit 6:29, From Darkness to Light, which features personal testimonies of 25 brave women who survived the Hamas massacre.
“We have more than 30 screens, and each one of them has more than 40 testimonies in English, Arabic, and Hebrew of women,” Riss said. “Each one of them tells the story of how she experienced the atrocities. The important part of it is that every day we added more and more testimonies. We have Muslims and we have Jews, and we have Christians, and it doesn't matter which religion it is, whether it's Bedouins, whether it's Israelis that live in the South or the North, they all experienced it in different ways. And I think the exhibition helps us to connect people from different walks of life.”
Riss said the final message, however, should be one of hope.
“At the end of the day, the good, the goodness will win, the good people will win,” he told ILTV. “We call it From Darkness to Light because the light was huge.”