ISRAEL-is in partnership with the Seed the Dream Foundation, in partnership with the non-profit and six survivors of the Nova Festival massacre, proudly announced the launch of the “Survived to Tell” Tour, an initiative that shares testimonials of those who survived the October 7 attack. This impactful initiative, planned in coordination with Building Israel Connections Engagement Project (BICEP) Campus Partners, toured across seven states and a dozen college campuses starting from March 28-April 19, 2024. 

The tour visited The University of Texas at Austin on April 8, 2024. 

What initially began as an online initiative aimed at raising social media awareness on Instagram, “Survived to Tell” has amassed over 120,000 followers in just a few short months. Now this rapidly expanding virtual platform, which shares a mixture of harrowing stories from courageous individuals, will transcend the digital realm into real world, with real life in-person storytelling as the Tour commences, focusing on engaging college students across the U.S. 

“Since October 7, 2023, the ADL has documented a total over 5,500 antisemitic incidents, marking a staggering 331% increase in reports compared to the previous year,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “Specifically, college and university campuses recorded 746 antisemitic incidents during this period, reflecting a remarkable 757% surge from the less than 100 incidents reported one year prior.” 

Adding, “This ‘Survived to Tell’ Tour underscores the critical role of education amidst increasing attacks on college campuses. It also highlights the empowering ability of survivors to connect and share their stories empathetically, effectively reshaping the narrative.” 

The six people selected to be part of the Tour represent a group of brave and innocent people who recounted their experiences from the October 7 attack which they personally survived. As they journeyed across these college campuses, their aim was to educate, foster empathy and ignite deeper and meaningful conversations about what is happening in the Middle East. These survivors also sought to empower college students to confront and address the persistent and ongoing rise of antisemitic rhetoric both on and off campus. 

The brave survivors of the “Survived to Tell” Tour included: 

Dor Kapah (31) – managed to escape from the terrorists at the party and save 7 people. 

Yonathan Diller (29) – Survived the massacre but witnessed the rape of women by the terrorists. 

Hadar Or Elmakias (27) – Shot in the leg when she tried to escape the attack. 

Shye Weinstein (27) – A photographer at the party, who managed to escape the attack. 

Mazal Tazazo (34) – Tied with ropes and beaten by the terrorists, nearly kidnapped to Gaza, but managed to be saved by playing herself dead. 

ISRAEL-is, a non-governmental organization based in Israel, has always been dedicated to training over 100,000 youth and young adults to advocate for Israel both in person and through digital platforms. 

“The ‘Survived to Tell’ Tour is a journey of courage and resilience,” said Head of Global Division at ISRAEL-is Omer Zimmerman. “Through the survivors’ raw and emotional narratives, we aim to ignite empathy, understanding, and meaningful connections. Together, we can confront antisemitism and strive for a world filled with compassion and empathy.”