Schusterman Center for Israel Studies Research Guide

The Bearing Witness Archive, led by the National Library of Israel, is a large-scale project to document the events of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war period. The project is in partnership with organizations in Israel and Diaspora Jewish communities, and its purpose is to create a reliable, accessible and extensive database of all documentation materials, an archive that will be an essential resource for us and for future generations. There are links to several smaller projects in Israel and the Diaspora.

Structured as both a public statement and an archive, this document aims to make sense of a deeply complex and troubling situation. It compiles evidence from reliable sources, including humanitarian organizations, investigative reports, and firsthand accounts, to provide a nuanced understanding of the war’s impact. At its core, this is an attempt to preserve a record for those who seek clarity and insight amidst the conflicting narratives in public discourse.

Edut 710 is the largest organization in Israel dedicated to collecting the testimonies of those who survived or witnessed the October 7 attacks. Edut (testimony) was set up with the goal of documenting and preserving the memories of the attacks, and creating a comprehensive, professional digital archive of testimonies, that will be kept at the National Library of Israel for generations to come.

The shocking attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, represents an inflection point in Jewish history. The implications of the attack and the ensuing war continue to unfold. We have seen rising antisemitism worldwide, divisions and solidarity within Jewish communities, an increase in Jews’ alienation from wider communities, and a restructuring of Israeli society. The conflict and its reverberations have been shaped by gender in multiple ways that have, as yet, been underreported and underexplored. Use these questions to help JWA document and preserve the experiences of Jewish women and gender-expansive people worldwide during this unprecedented moment.

Kan is the public broadcast station in Israel.