What survivors had to say about OCTOBER 7 - The Play

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PhelimMcaleer Substack

Two people we interviewed for the play were able to see it. Here's what they thought.
Phelim McAleer
Jul 13, 2024

We’ve told you a lot about how the press and audience loved our OCTOBER 7 play but did you know that two of the women we interviewed and who were featured in the show actually came to see it?

Shani Arditi and Tal Shimony both spoke to us when we went to Israel to report on the October 7 attack. Both of their stories are integral parts of the play. Both were at the NOVA music festival simply enjoying life with their friends when all hell broke loose. Hamas murdered hundreds of festival goers in the early morning of October 7. 

Shani was going to teach an aerial yoga workshop, but instead spent the day running from gunshots and hiding in a field of thorns while terrorists closed in around her. She survived, and her story is so incredible you have to see it to believe it. We won’t spoil everything, but in a very touching moment she felt the presence of her grandfather, who had passed away on October 7 several years before.

She came to opening night in New York. We surprised the actress playing her after the show. Here’s a video of their meeting. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

We interviewed Shani and Jenny, the actress, on our podcast about their experiences with the play. You can watch the full interview here.

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