Chen G. Schimmel is an award winning Israeli photojournalist whose documentation of October 7th and the months that followed has become an important visual record. This series includes excerpts from her first book, October 7th | Bearing Witness, which creates a visual and written account of the first year after the attacks.
Proceeds go to the SUMMIT Institute for Trauma and Post-Trauma Recovery. For more information: https://www.chengschimmel.com/
My name is Yosef Weiner, and I am 97 years old. I escaped the flames of the Nazi beasts, but my entire family was consumed by that inferno. Ripped from my deep roots, I built a memorial from basalt stones, a tribute to those who were lost. On the verge of collapse, drowning in despair, I clung to this land and planted myself in Zion.
I married Aviva, and together we raised two wonderful children, Ofer and Nurit. Ofer and Michal blessed us with four grandchildren in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Nurit and Miki gave us six more. I watched as my family’s tree took root in the soil of our homeland and flourished.
But then, without warning, on October 7th, 2023, evil struck again. The nightmare returned, fire, ash, the slaughter of innocent lives. My beloved grandson Yahav, dearest to my heart, was murdered while protecting his wife, Shay-lee, and their newborn daughter, Shaiya. My precious granddaughter Hadar, along with her husband, Itai, were also brutally murdered while shielding their 10-month-old twins, Roy and Guy.
Once again, I find myself depleted, drowning in sorrow. This time, there is no earth left for me to hold on to.
Yosef Weiner's family was murdered in Kibbutz Kfar Aza on October 7th 2023. Yosef passed away on December 25th, 2024.
Written in collaboration with Chen G. Schimmel