Over the last 12 months, the National Library of Israel (NLI) has led a national and international effort to create a massive archive documenting 7 October and its aftermath.

The Bearing Witness project seeks to build a comprehensive, state-of-the-art archive that will be the authoritative historical record of this crucial period in Israeli and Jewish history, and also an essential resource for future generations.

NLI is collecting everything: sermons, lamentations, advocacy, advertisements, archival materials, oral and written testimonies, video and audio clips, photos, diaries, eulogies, podcasts, websites, social media posts, commemoration materials, music, posters and more.

To date, more than 300 documentation initiatives have been gathered under the NLI umbrella, as well as 500 million internet posts, two million digital files, and more than 1,000 print publications.

The National Library of Israel is asking for the following from our British Progressive Jewish communities as part of the ‘Bearing Witness’ campaign:

• Documentation of expressions of solidarity and support in communities immediately after the October events.

• Documentation of manifestations of antisemitism and extreme statements against Israel, as well as the reactions to them from all parts of the political spectrum and society.

• Documentation of the impact of the events of 7 October, and the war in Gaza, on our Diaspora communities.

• Information is also being collected on campuses to document the impressions and actions of Jewish and non-Jewish students, faculty members and various organisations.

NLI CEO Oren Weinberg said: “Your photos, videos, social media posts and more are an important part of the story we want to preserve and tell. We invite you and your community to share them, for now and future generations.”

Find out more and share your materials here.