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Originally appeared in JNS.org on July 21, 2026.

Acclaimed Israeli photographer Ziv Koren and poet Noam Horev combine images, film, music and artifacts in an immersive tribute to Israel’s pain and resilience after the Hamas attacks.

“We Shall Rise,” an immersive art installation created by acclaimed Israeli photographer Ziv Koren and poet Noam Horev, offers visitors a powerful multimedia journey through the Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the country’s resilience in the years since.

Housed in a 500-square-yard space on the rooftop of Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall, the exhibition combines photography, video, music, narration and artifacts in an experience designed to help Israelis and visitors alike process the trauma of the attacks and their aftermath.

The tour showcases 11 large-scale installations and lasts approximately 45 minutes. Visitors receive a headset with narration in Hebrew or English before moving through eight themed installations, each featuring a three- to four-minute audiovisual presentation.

Visitors are invited to watch multimedia presentations during the “We Shall Rise” immersive exhibition at Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall, July 20, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

The first installation, “A Gray Sunrise,” depicts the devastation in Gaza border communities overrun by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Burned children’s toys, bicycles and homes accompany the words of the mourners’ Kaddish, which gradually assemble across the screen.

“How Do You Explain to a Child?” poses haunting questions, including: “How do I explain an orphaned doll in a pile to a child?” and “How do I explain what I can’t explain to myself?” Visitors then pass a burned-out car before continuing through the exhibition.

“Fighting for Home” follows Israeli soldiers in Gaza through striking close-up images of tanks, homes, tunnels and frontline operations. One memorable scene shows a soldier in uniform at his own wedding during a brief leave from the front, with the couple photographed atop a tank.

Other installations include “The Mothers’ Vow,” featuring the now-familiar “Bring Them Home” signs; “The Human Spirit,” focusing on wounded Israelis, including amputees, and their rehabilitation; “The Miracle of People,” highlighting civilian volunteer efforts to feed soldiers and displaced families; “You Wouldn’t Take My Country Away From Me,” which opens with a disclaimer that the incoming rocket sirens heard during the presentation are part of the exhibit and not real; and finally, “We Will Rise Again,” which juxtaposes military funerals with emotional scenes of hostages reunited with family members.

Images from photographer Ziv Koren at the “We Shall Rise” installation at the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, July 20, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Ziv Koren.

One particularly poignant display features abducted soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin alongside the number marking the days his body was held by Hamas in Gaza. Goldin’s body was returned to Israel on Nov. 9, 2025, more than 11 years after Hamas murdered him and abducted his body during “Operation Protective Edge” on Aug. 1, 2014. His remains had been held in Gaza for 4,118 days before being transferred to Israel via the Red Cross and positively identified

The final gallery presents “Then and Now,” a series of side-by-side photographs taken at the same locations shortly after Oct. 7 and again in recent months. The images document the gradual recovery of communities including Be’eri, Nir Oz, Sderot and Kfar Aza.

Ziv Koren, Danna Azrieli and Noam Horev at the opening of the “We Shall Rise” exhibition at the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv. May 31, 2026. Credit: Courtesy.

Presidential visit

Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal Herzog, were among those moved by the exhibition.

In a social-media post on July 16 following their visit, Herzog described it as “a vivid portrayal of the horrors of Oct. 7 and its aftermath” and praised Koren, Horev and the production team led by Azrieli Group chairwoman Danna Azrieli for bringing the project to life.

“It tells the story of both the agony and the resilience of the people of Israel since the events of Oct. 7, 2023,” Herzog wrote, encouraging the public to visit.

In a video message, Herzog added: “It reminds us what happened on Oct. 7 and afterwards. It also tells the story of an incredible nation that rose from deep pain with enormous strength and hope.”

Exhibition staff said several senior American officials have toured the installation in recent weeks.

The exhibition runs through Oct. 30 on the rooftop level of Tel Aviv’s Azrieli Mall, 132 Menachem Begin Road. It is open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is 39 shekels, with discounts available, and the exhibition is recommended for visitors ages 14 and older.

Just before visitors return their headsets at the end of the tour, the narrator leaves them with one final message: “We hope you will remember to be kind to one another.”

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Originally appeared at jns.org on July 17, 2026.

At a Tel Aviv gathering, volunteers hear the story of an Ethiopian immigrant’s journey to Israel as the organization seeks to strengthen its growing community beyond IDF bases.

The Israel Defense Forces needs Sar-El volunteers more urgently now than at any point since the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, according to the organization’s CEO, who says logistical support from civilians allows soldiers to focus on combat and other critical missions.

“The IDF needs us more than ever,” Keren Dahan, CEO of Sar-El, told JNS. “The IDF needs people even more than after Oct. 7.”

Dahan said volunteers perform a wide range of essential noncombat tasks on six army bases across Israel, helping prepare equipment returning from Gaza and Lebanon for future use, maintaining medical supplies and assembling military rations for troops in the field.

“Materials are coming back from Gaza and the North,” she said. “They come back to the warehouse and need to be made ready for the next time.”

Sar-El volunteers prepare some 35,000 military meals each day for IDF soldiers.

Although between 60 and 100 volunteers arrive each week for assignments lasting from one to several weeks, Dahan said demand far exceeds supply.

“It is not enough,” she said, attributing the decline in volunteer numbers largely to reduced international air service and concerns among prospective participants that they could become stranded in Israel.

Sar-El volunteers organize, pack, and prepare essential supplies to be sent to IDF soldiers on the frontlines, July 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Sar-El.

Building a global community

Founded in 1983 during the First Lebanon War, Sar-El was created to help fill manpower shortages after large numbers of reservists were called up, leaving farms in the Golan Heights without sufficient workers. Over the past four decades, it has evolved into one of Israel’s largest volunteer organizations supporting the military.

Since its founding, nearly 292,000 volunteers between the ages of 17 and 80 from some 60 countries have performed essential logistical work on IDF bases.

More than 125,000 participants—about 43% of the total—have returned five or more times.

Sar-El volunteers write heartfelt messages on boxes of medical supplies headed to IDF soldiers on the front lines, July 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Sar-El.

Volunteers wear IDF uniforms, participate in the daily flag-raising ceremony and sing Hatikvah each morning before beginning work.

In addition to expanding its volunteer base, Sar-El is working to strengthen connections among participants after they leave the military bases.

“People want to be connected on and off base,” Dahan said. “We are working to build a community.”

To that end, the organization recently launched Academy by Sar-El, an educational lecture series designed to give volunteers greater insight into Israeli society and current events while strengthening their ties to one another.

“We want to give people knowledge about what is happening in Israel,” Dahan said.

Beyond volunteer service, Sar-El now offers educational tours, Hebrew immersion weeks at Kibbutz Mashabei Sadeh, Krav Maga training in partnership with the Wingate Institute, an intensive first-aid program with Magen David Adom and volunteer missions with KKL-JNF to help rehabilitate forests damaged by recent fires.

After a long day of meaningful work, Sar-El volunteers celebrate a job well done together, July 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Sar-El.

A remarkable journey

About 50 Sar-El volunteers gathered in the lobby of Tel Aviv’s Maxim Hotel on Thursday evening to hear Moshe Yeshayahu recount his family’s remarkable journey from Ethiopia to Israel.

Yeshayahu, who spent his childhood as a shepherd in Ethiopia, described trekking with his family through Sudan before being rescued in a covert Mossad operation that ultimately brought them to Israel.

Moshe Yeshayahu recounts his family’s journey from Ethiopia to Israel during an Academy by Sar-El event in Tel Aviv on July 16, 2026. Photo by Howard Blas.

The audience—made up of volunteers from the United States, France, Hungary, Australia and several other countries—had either recently completed a Sar-El assignment or were preparing to begin one.

They peppered Yeshayahu with questions about his family’s journey, his adjustment to life in Israel, his career in education and the changing attitudes of younger Ethiopian Israelis toward their parents’ generation.

Audience members were particularly moved by Yeshayahu’s account of the Mossad’s covert efforts to rescue Ethiopian Jews through Sudan during the early 1980s.

One elderly attendee remarked that he had never imagined meeting someone who had passed through the Red Sea Diving Resort—the fake luxury diving village established by Mossad operatives on Sudan’s Red Sea coast to help smuggle thousands of Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

The lecture was the second of three Academy by Sar-El events scheduled this summer. The series concludes on Aug. 6 with a presentation by former Mossad operative Avner Avraham titled “Spies from the Movies: James Bond and the Reality of Intelligence War.”

The loudest applause of the evening came when Yeshayahu showed a photograph of himself proudly serving in the IDF after completing his master’s degree.

The audience applauded again when he shared that his 18-year-old son will soon begin his own military service.

For many in the room—people who had traveled from around the world specifically to support the IDF—the moment captured the spirit of Sar-El: volunteers and Israelis, each serving the country in their own way, united by a shared commitment to Israel.

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Originally appeared at JNS.org on July 14, 2026.

More than 3,000 athletes from over 40 countries took part in the “Jewish Olympics,” held a year after the Games were postponed due to the war with Iran.

One year after the Maccabiah Games were postponed because of Israel’s war with Iran, thousands of Jewish athletes gathered at Expo Tel Aviv on Monday night to celebrate the successful conclusion of the 2026 competition, capping nearly two weeks of athletic events and reaffirming the resilience of world Jewry.

The July 13 closing ceremony brought together athletes from more than 40 countries who competed in what is widely known as the “Jewish Olympics.” The Maccabiah was originally scheduled to open on July 8, 2025, with some 8,000 athletes from 55 countries, but was postponed following “Operation Rising Lion” and heightened tensions with Iran.

Announcing the postponement in June 2025, Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar had declared, “We will meet here next year with an Israel stronger and braver than ever.”

Addressing participants at the closing ceremony, Zohar said the successful completion of the games fulfilled that promise.

“The festive end of the Maccabiah tonight is particularly joyful,” he said. “Beyond sports, there was a real encounter here between Diaspora Jews and the State of Israel and the people here. The athletes return home with memories and experiences and a new connection with the State of Israel.”

Zohar thanked the Maccabi World Union, the Maccabiah organizers, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, local authorities, volunteers, security forces and the athletes themselves, concluding, “Am Yisrael Chai! The people of Israel live!”

Some 1,200 Maccabiah participants celebrate their bar and bat mitzvahs at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on July 13, 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Maccabiah 2026.

Celebration beyond sport

More than 3,000 athletes from abroad competed alongside some 2,000 Israeli participants during the July 1-13 games. Organizers said approximately 1,000 youth athletes took part in the Maccabiah for the first time.

The closing ceremony featured medal presentations, the transfer of the Maccabiah Miracle Flag to the Jewish Sports Museum and a film honoring those murdered on and since Oct. 7, 2023. Olympic gymnastics medalist and Maccabiah ambassador Artem Dolgopyat extinguished the Maccabiah flame, marking the official end of the games until the next competition.

Earlier on July 13, approximately 1,200 Maccabiah participants celebrated their bar and bat mitzvahs at Jerusalem’s Western Wall in a ceremony organized by the Maccabiah, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

Many of the participants, visiting Israel for the first time, toured Jerusalem’s Old City before taking part in the ceremony, which included prayer services and aliyot to the Torah at the Western Wall.

‘A clear message’

Roy Hessing, chief executive of Maccabi World Union and the Maccabiah, said staging the games this year carried significance well beyond athletics.

“The only time the Maccabiah was canceled was during the Holocaust,” Hessing told JNS. Holding the event this year, he said, was important “to send a clear message to our neighbors around the world that we are strong and united.”

Reflecting on the event, Hessing highlighted both its sporting and broader impact.

“More than 3,000 athletes arrived from around the world, joined by 2,000 members of the Israeli delegation and about 6,000 other guests,” he said. “The hotels were filled with tourists. I’m so proud and happy that we managed to hold a significant, exciting, powerful event, which is much more than just another sports competition. It is an event which connects the Jewish communities to the State of Israel and makes us all very proud.”

Founded in 1932, the Maccabiah Games are held every four years and are the world’s largest Jewish sporting event, bringing together thousands of athletes from across the globe to compete in Israel while strengthening their connection to the Jewish state.

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Originally appeared at jns.org on July 14, 2026.

After becoming the first Israeli women’s national basketball team to win a European medal, the team reflected on the bond that fueled its remarkable run.

The cheers that greeted Israel’s under-20 women’s basketball team at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday evening were for more than a silver medal. After becoming the first Israeli women’s national basketball team to win a medal at a European championship, the players returned home following a week that captivated sports fans across the country.

Israel capped its remarkable run at the Fédération Internationale de Basketball Amateur (FIBA) U20 Women’s EuroBasket competition in Lithuania on Sunday by winning the silver medal, falling 79-66 to France in the championship game.

The team was welcomed by family members, supporters and Israel Basketball Association officials before holding a celebratory press conference at the airport.

Israel reached the final after finishing second in Group A, then defeated Hungary 96-79 in the Round of 16, edged Poland 80-79 in the quarterfinals, and beat Belgium 78-69 in the semifinals.

Maya Zilbershlag of Israel drives past France’s Sarah Cisse, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, during the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket championship game in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12, 2026. Credit: FIBA.

To advance to the knockout stage, Israel won two of its three group games. After narrowly losing to defending champion Spain in its opener, Israel rebounded to defeat Croatia 87-85 before rallying from a 13-point deficit to beat host Lithuania 74-71.

France, which has won four of the last nine European U20 titles, raced to an 18-0 lead in the championship game against Israel’s starting lineup of Mayan Cohen, Ayala Oren, May Bayko, Maya Zilbershlag and Gal Raviv.

Israel steadily fought back, cutting the deficit to eight by the end of the first quarter. France led 44-31 at halftime and extended its advantage to as many as 23 points in the third quarter. Israel answered with a 9-0 run in the fourth, trimming the deficit to 68-58 with five minutes remaining, but France held on for the 79-66 victory.

Raviv led Israel with 29 points and eight rebounds and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five. Ayala Oren added 16 points and 10 rebounds, Maya Zilbershlag scored 12 points with six rebounds, May Bayko had four points, Neta Meisher added three and Mayan Cohen scored two. Cohen had poured in 26 points and tied the tournament record for three-pointers in Israel’s semifinal victory over Belgium.

France’s Sarah Cisse was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player after averaging 15.4 points and 10 rebounds per game. She was joined on the All-Star Five by teammate Ines Pitarch-Granel, Spain’s Ines Sotelo Miguez, Lithuania’s Daniele Paunksnyte and Israel’s Raviv.

The tournament’s top five finishers were France, Israel, Spain, Belgium and Poland.

Gal Raviv addresses the media at Ben-Gurion Airport on Monday after Israel’s U20 women’s national basketball team returned from Lithuania with a historic silver medal at the FIBA U20 Women’s EuroBasket. Credit: IBBA.

‘The girls have a crazy desire to succeed’

At the airport press conference, head coach Tal Nathan credited the team’s chemistry and resilience for its historic achievement.

“The girls have a crazy desire to succeed, they love each other and that’s the point. I walk around the hotel all day and notice the special bond between the players—that’s what helped us get out of stressful situations during the games. The ability to recover from a game that ended in the evening and play tomorrow evening requires physical and mental readiness, and we did it excellently. That’s the greatness of the girls.”

Raviv said hearing Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, before every game gave the team extra motivation.

“The anthem made us all come ‘crazy’ to every game. We are disappointed with the loss in the final, but very proud of the history we made.”

Israel Basketball Association Chairman Amos Frishman praised the team’s determination throughout the tournament.

“This tremendous achievement will always be remembered by the players. I even heard about girls who were injured and their ability to play was in doubt. From here I want to say to the men’s teams too—that it is possible to play even with minor injuries. I want as many young girls as possible to go and play basketball—we have a bright future!”

You paved the way for the next generation.

Liron Cohen, chairwoman of the Israel Basketball Association’s Women’s Professional Committee, said the players had inspired the next generation of Israeli athletes.

“I am very excited to stand here on the administrative side and see what the players did throughout the championship. You paved the way for the next generation. You were born basketball-playing girls and you swept up an entire country after you,” she said.

“The history that you made will never be forgotten. Everyone will go on her own way and find her own place, but the things you did on the national team—with the flag and the anthem of Israel—will be remembered forever. Nothing compares to that!”

The silver medal was the first ever won by an Israeli women’s national basketball team at a European championship, capping a breakthrough tournament that saw Israel upset several higher-ranked opponents and capture the imagination of basketball fans back home.

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