The unsung community heroes of October 7

From then on, I started attending and organising vigils and protests. During one of my son’s football practices, I had the young team sing a song for Ohad Munder, a nine-year-old hostage in Gaza. We recorded it and sent it to his family. When Ohad was released, he wanted to visit the UK and attend a football match. I helped arrange tickets for his family, and even got him into Harry Potter Studio for a tour.

As I became more involved with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, I helped coordinate visits for hostage families coming to the UK, ensuring they met impactful people in parliament; brought them to the party conferences and arranged for them to meet the Qatari ambassador.

I’ve played a role in organising numerous hostage-related events and marches, including 47 vigils in Borehamwood and a major event in St John’s Wood marking six months since the massacre, as well as the empty Seder table installation and a candle lighting vigil in Hendon.

The Jewish community has been consumed by worry and pain, and people need spaces to share that. At times, it can feel uncomfortable to openly state that you’re Israeli or Jewish, but these events bring us together. There’s strength in that.

I’ve always been a problem solver. Volunteering gives me a sense of purpose, keeping me busy and focused, while steering me away from the toxic world of social media.

But this work comes with sacrifices. As a mother of three young children, it’s not easy. My family misses me.

Yet, despite the challenges, I feel a deep responsibility. This work is something I can’t turn away from.

We cannot forget the hostages. Whether it’s attending a rally, leaving an empty chair or sending a card to their families, we must let them know they are not alone and keep them in our thoughts and prayers.

As told to Jane Prinsley

‘The hostages could be our kids or parents’

Orit Eyal-Fibeesh is the co-founder of 7/10 Human Chain

Orit Eyal-Fibeesh[Missing Credit]

Before the war, I was part of a group of Israelis in London protesting against judicial reforms in Israel. We had planned a demonstration in Parliament Square for October 15, but after October 7, it was clear this was not the time for protest.

Though I’ve lived in the UK for more than 20 years, my heart has always been in Israel.

When the massacre happened, Israelis in the UK needed to come together. We decided to use the space we had reserved in Parliament Square for what became a makeshift shiva for the 1,200 souls murdered in the attack. We lit candles, said Kaddish and stood united in what became the first vigil in the UK. At the time, we believed 150 people had been kidnapped, so we printed posters of each one.

After the vigil, we covered London with hostage posters in what felt like a military operation, with different groups spreading images of the kidnapped throughout the city.

The Israeli embassy then organised a vigil in Trafalgar Square, and, knowing I could mobilise the community, they asked for my help.

We initially requested 160 volunteers to hold posters of the hostages. More than 1,000 people showed up, so we printed more posters. We wore T-shirts with the number 203 – the confirmed number of hostages at the time. Standing close together, we felt strong and united in our grief and advocacy. That’s when the 7/10 Human Chain movement was born, and we made a promise to raise awareness until every hostage was brought home. I helped to organise protests outside the Qatari embassy, the BBC, and the Red Cross. We’ve organised vigils and marches and even hosted a birthday party for Emily Hand while she was still in captivity to raise awareness. We’ve used every method to get the world’s attention.

When news broke of six hostages’ murders in Gaza, my heart shattered. I cry more than ever before, but there is always hope that some of the hostages will come home alive.

This is the first time in my 21 years in the UK that I’ve seen the Jewish and Israeli communities work so closely together. We fight for the hostages because we know they could be us or our children or parents. We fight for them because they are part of us.

As told to Jane Prinsley

‘Even when the war ends, our mission doesn’t’

Amber Pinto and Zac Wagman[Missing Credit]

Zak Wagman and Amber Pinto, both 26, run the Blue & White Club, which is part of Stand With Us. Zak is from Stanmore and Amber is from Radlett

After we saw that there was a gap in the market for social clubs aimed at pro-Israel young professionals in this country, we created the Blue & White Club in November 2022. There were already plenty of initiatives aimed at children and students, as well as older people, but not many for those in their twenties and thirties. We were our own target audience, young Jewish professionals, passionate about strengthening ties in our community and to Israel, and we realised that if we were feeling a certain way, others would likely be too.

Prior to October 7, we held an event for members about every quarter, and it was all about engaging with each other and Israel in social and positive ways. But after October 7, the demand for what we were doing dramatically increased.

Blue & White Club events, which now occur every two to three weeks, are split into social events, which are essentially to celebrate all things Israel, through Israeli music and culture nights. We also run educational events, whose purpose is to help keep people informed and give them the confidence to challenge or respond to things they know to be false.

Less than a week after October 7, we ran an online webinar with an IDF spokesperson for club members, and that same week, we sprang into action by running an event with a mental health psychologist to help people process their feelings, which was attended by more than 150 people. As well as mental health professionals, we have members of our community, from employment lawyers to paediatric nurses, who have run events and offered their expertise and guidance to other club members. Upwards of 750 young professionals – not all of them Jewish – have engaged in person with the Blue & White Club since October 7. More than 1,000 people read our weekly newsletter, and 600 people are members of the Blue & White Club’s WhatsApp group chat, to which Zak posts daily war updates and news.

Our roles in the Blue & White Club are entirely voluntary based. We’re genuinely passionate advocates for Israel, a country that has a fantastic story to tell and is a net positive to the world. When the war eventually ends, our mission doesn’t. We will continue. We did it before the war, we ramped up during the war, and we will continue after it.

As told to Daniel Ben-David

‘We need to connect the public to the hostages’

Heidi Bachram[Missing Credit]

Heidi Bachram has been campaigning for the release of the hostages and against antisemitism in Brighton since October 7.

Before meeting my Israeli husband, Adam, in 1993, my only experience of Israel was a friend who had gone to volunteer on a kibbutz.

For Adam and me, there was a before and an after October 7. It’s an entirely different universe now.
Adam’s 18-year-old cousin, Ma’ayan, was murdered by Hamas on the day and her father, Tsachi, was taken hostage. On the day Adam found out, on October 8, he filmed a student in Brighton celebrating the Hamas attack, which subsequently went viral on social media. For us, there was a real awakening at that time to that duality or dichotomy, and the lines separating the two became more clearly defined, as did the life we were going to lead now: one fighting terrorists and their sympathisers.

That first week, we were in this frenzy of shock and grief and horror. Things were chaotic, and we felt alone. Adam began speaking at the weekly vigil in Brighton, unaware at the time that he would find himself still speaking at it again and again and again so many months later.

We still didn’t feel like we were doing enough, even though he was speaking regularly at events and I was using my social media account, with more than 26,000 followers, to raise awareness, so we started the Yellow Ribbon Campaign. We stopped feeling so helpless once we started taking action.

Among the things we’ve organised these last months was the making of large hostage posters and speaking with people in the street about them, creating a giant yellow ribbon that we placed on Brighton’s seafront, and projecting the faces of the hostages onto Brighton’s cliffs. We think that if we can only make the British public connect to the hostages, if they can see themselves in them, we can make a real difference.

Brighton is unfortunately apparently one of the UK’s top 10 locations for antisemitic incidents, but we have wanted to show that we’re here also: we are visible, and we can shout just as loud. In a way, it’s kind of selfish too as it’s the only thing that stops the despair from creeping in. The horrors are so huge that they could swallow us whole if we let them.

Our single g oal of campaigning for the safe return of hostages has kept us energised and focused, and one foot in front of the abyss.

As told to Daniel Ben-David

‘We’ve found some fight in our community again’

Chana Wynick[Missing Credit]

Leeds Leads Against Antisemitism (LLAA) is a grassroots organisation. Chana Wynick, 37, from Alwoodley, Leeds, is involved

After October 7, it was a long first week. We were seeing memorials pop up around the country, but I didn’t feel like anything was said in Leeds until the middle of the first week, which felt like a long time.

Our group originated from three individuals – Jayne Wynick, Debbie Addlestone and Marshall Frieze – having a conversation and saying: “We want to be doing more, but we don’t know where to start.”

In November, Debbie heard a man shout, “F**ck the Jews” as she passed a pro-Palestine march, leading her to approach the West Yorkshire Police.

The officer said: “Where’s your community been? Why are you letting them have all the narrative? Why don’t you do anything about it?”

She said: “Well, I’m here now, and I’m going to definitely set something up.” We then began counter-protesting the Women in Black demonstration every week, handing out information about Israel. For years, they’ve stood silently in Leeds City Centre for an hour every Tuesday. They’ve always been pro-Palestine, but since October 7, it’s become more political.

At our counterprotests, 85 per cent of the public support us. Even if it’s just a thumbs up, or a “We’re rooting for you”, or a “We’re standing with Israel.”

We organised a march at Pesach about releasing the hostages and another in June about antisemitism.

Unfortunately, the Palestine Solidary Campaign (PSC) found out about the second one and counterprotested. I had a guy screaming “Nazi” in my face. I’m used to hearing it now, but he was foaming at the mouth – that’s how angry these people were.

We’ve since organised a Q&A session with senior members of the police and arranged talks by David Collier and Dr Jeremy Havardi on antisemitism and Israeli advocacy.

Recently, our three founding members put forward a motion at a Leeds City Council meeting, asking councillors to recommit to the IHRA definition of antisemitism for the whole of Leeds.

Apart from Mothin Ali of the Green Party, the council voted to accept it.

We’ve definitely had an impact in the north. Smaller communities in Newcastle, Sheffield and Bradford have felt like they have got something to cling onto.

We’ve found a bit of fight in our community again, which we needed.

"I’m proud of what we’ve achieved as a result of this awful situation.

As told to Imogen Garfinkel

‘A scrap of good news can make someone smile’

[Missing Credit]

Yanky Fachler, a copywriter and member of the Jewish community in Ireland, began sending “positive news” after October 7

Although I was born and raised in England for the first third of my life, I spent the next third in Israel, and I am, for all intents and purposes, an Israeli. I speak Hebrew fluently, and my head and my heart are always in Israel.

October 7 absolutely shocked me to my core. And, of course, with close family and friends in Israel, it made it all the more visceral. So, I thought to myself, what can I do to help? My military service was in the Seventies, so I knew I wasn’t going to be useful in any military capacity. What I do know how to do is to write, and I’m an optimist by nature, so I thought, why don’t I try and cheer people up in this dire time with stories that give them hope?

Within about ten days, I came up with the idea for Yanky’s morale-boosting doodles, a play on the song Yanky Doodle, and I started sending these out at a rate of about five a day.

So far, I’ve done about 1,500 since October 7, and I haven’t missed a single occasion.

I’m good at finding good news even within the bad news. Some stories I cover are not happy stories, but I’ll find something in them that makes someone smile.

In the early days, I was getting feedback from people who said that my doodles were the only thing that gave them any sort of relief and hope. If that worked for only one person I would have said: “Dayenu, that’s great.” But I get feedback like that from all over the world.

I have a mailing list of about 450 people, but in Dublin, there’s a member of the community who, for the past 20 years, has sent a weekly newsletter to more than 1,000 people in Ireland. From early on, maybe within the first few months, he has been reproducing my Thursday edition in his Friday newsletter so that all his readers get my morale-boosting doodles too.

I know that a lot of people send them to their friends. It’s gratifying and I love doing it. As the days sometimes get darker and the news gets darker, it’s not always easy to find glimpses of joy, but sometimes all it takes is a scrap of good news to make someone smile.

Anyone is invited to receive the doodles by emailing Yanky Fachler at: yankyfachler@mail.com.

As told to Eliana Jordan

‘It’s hard now to wear a Magen David’