Statement One Year After October 7th

Today marks the anniversary of the horrific Hamas massacre in southern Israel. Over a hundred people are still being held hostage.

The war has claimed far too many lives, driven people from their homes and is currently threatening to spread even further. The horror and violence are so massive that all that remains is helpless despair.

Here in Germany, we have not managed to remain in dialogue. Over the past year, we have observed a lack of empathy. A silence that has been criticised but not broken, and which particularly affects art and culture. This first anniversary, which goes unmentioned in many places, is an urgent example of this, even where human rights and feminism are concerned.

We have failed to empathise with all victims and have fallen into camps. Anti-Semitism is overlooked or often only addressed by those who use it to thinly veil their racism: Fighting anti-Semitism as a fig leaf for anti-Muslim deportation fantasies. In an attempt to counter this, anti-Semitism is often negated and perpetuated. Violence is only seen on one side. People continue to remain silent about October 7th, or the massacre is reinterpreted as resistance.

A moral compass often seems to be lost. The simplifications and polemics are so blatant that people just want to avoid the discussions altogether. At the same time, boycotts and personal attacks are increasing the pressure on those who are trying to keep the dialogue open.

On the anniversary of October 7th, we mourn and remember. We recognise the significance(s) of this day for Israeli society and the Jewish diaspora in all its diversity and contradictions, and we do not forget the victims of the war in Gaza and Lebanon. With the Jewish Film Festival Berlin Brandenburg, we keep a space open to deal with complexities and to approach painful topics. A space in which dissent is possible and desirable, in which discussions can be held and endured.

Programme Directorate and Programme Committee of the JFBB