As an Israeli photographer and member of Kibbutz Shefayim, I have spent the past three years living in Dallas, Texas, with my family. During a recent visit to Israel this past summer, I felt a profound need to contribute in the wake of the devastating events of October 7, 2023.
This instinct led me to the Kfar Aza community, which has been residing in Kibbutz Shefayim for the past year since the attack on Kfar Aza on that fateful October morning. The people of Kfar Aza were embraced by the members of Shefayim, who helped them establish temporary lives through unwavering support and assistance.
Working closely with representatives from both communities, I realized the importance of capturing this temporary existence and the deeply painful, complex emotions of the families whose loved ones had been kidnapped.
I had the opportunity to sit with four families, listening to their stories and conveying their emotions—families of five Kfar Aza members who remain missing: Emily Tehila Damari, twins Ziv and Gali Berman, Doron Steinbrecher, and Keith Siegel.
The images I captured were created for memorial spaces that Kfar Aza is currently displaying in Israel, as part of the commemoration of the events of October 7, 2024. These spaces, titled "Through Their Eyes", tell the story of a community—its memory and its mourning. Through this exhibition, Kfar Aza seeks to share its tragic narrative of loss and destruction on a deeply personal level.
The images are part of a larger project, and they seek to honor the missing and pay tribute to the resilience of their families as they continue to hope for their return.
