Exploring Memory Through Art at the University of Florida

On Feb. 18, 2025, UF Hillel and the UF Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies  hosted October Seventh: A Space of Anguish, Loss, Anger, Memory, and Sorrow, an art exhibition on memory and emotion, opening at UF. This event is not a recount of the events of October 7, 2023, but a celebration and examination of Israeli creativity through a diverse collection of paintings, digital media, music, and journalism. On this day,the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, launched a large-scale attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The collection serves both as a historical record and a platform for artistic expression. Attendees are encouraged to view the artwork through the lens of its cultural context., "This really gives a different look and a different view." emphasized Yaniv Feller, assistant professor at UF and scholar of modern Jewish thought. 

Feller brings this exhibition from the ANU – Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. Since 1978, the Museum of the Jewish People has played a central role in preserving Jewish heritage and celebrating Jewish identity. His efforts have made it possible for the University of Florida community to engage deeply with Israeli cultural expression through this exhibition. 

The 23-minute film, "War Diary: October 7" offers a visual account of the events in Be'eri and Kfar Aza, featuring 300 news photographs documenting the destruction. Emily Gross, an English Studies major and freshman, commented, "Being here at UF and having the opportunity to closely experience this, I feel like it is very valuable.". 

The expressions of art, literature, music, and film selected for this exhibit were  created by artists before, during, and after the conflict all affected by the war,  with some still creating today while others are honored posthumously, including  Inbar Heimann z"l, Jonathan Chazor z"l, and Roee Idan z"l,. This exhibition was available until Feb. 21, 2025, and housed at UF Hillel: 2020 W University Ave.

Among the works featured in the exhibit is a piece by Ziva Jelin, curator at the gallery in Kibbutz Be’Eri. Her artwork features traces of shrapnel left over from bullet fire, a "testament to the situation these painters were in," as described by Maxim Kochkin, a freshman IT systems major.