An Oct. 7 film for Israel’s critics: 'Shadows of October' explores attack’s spiritual dimension

A new documentary, “Shadows of October,” examines the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack and its global impact through a spiritual lens, challenging what its creators see as a prevailing anti-Israel narrative.

The film from Rushing River Productions weaves together the biblical foundations of Israel’s story with powerful interviews from a range of perspectives, bringing stories and details not yet heard by a global audience.

Rushing River Productions, a subsidiary of Life in Messiah International, was formed in response to the sickening antisemitism that erupted immediately after Oct. 7. Disturbed by the hostile campus protests that turned on Jewish students, and were even sanctioned by faculty staff, a coalition of leaders, filmmakers, and Christians came together to present the facts that so many have been totally oblivious to.

Among those interviewed by the film’s narrator, Levi Hazen, were survivors of the massacre, monitors of Palestinian propaganda and Christians who had initially embraced the anti-Israel narrative but discovered another reality when visiting the land for themselves. 

A former member of "Students for Justice and Palestine," Anna Beth, explained that a trip to Israel had been a “game changer” for her.

“What I found was an entire nation of people that I had been discounting,” she said, adding that she met both Jews and Arabs and heard their stories.

“It began to really shake my paradigm; it was actually very uncomfortable,” she said. “I started researching the history of the conflict in depth, then reading primary sources, and reading books about the history. I learned so many things that really began to surprise me.”

She began to see that Israel was more of a “David” than a “Goliath” in the struggle – quite the opposite of what she previously thought.

“I had never heard the Israeli side of a story,” she admitted. “I felt like I was on the side of justice and righteousness.”

After visiting Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, Beth realized she had unwittingly been perpetuating the hatred of Jews that goes back to Israel’s biblical beginnings.

“Antisemitism is so widespread throughout thousands of years of history that this just is not normal… There has to be a deeper spiritual evil underneath this hatred,” she said.

“I had been complicit… in my hatred towards Israel, I had actually been buying into an antisemitic ideology… I didn't know that I was partnering with this, but I was.”

The in-depth testimonies of survivors featured in the film are devastating, but they help the viewer get a rare glimpse of the suffering so many Israelis have been through. 

Much of the media coverage of the conflict has focused on the civilians of Gaza, ignoring the impact on Israelis and also rarely implicating Hamas. Studies have shown that media giants such as the BBC and the New York Times have consistently downplayed the Israeli perspective.

“Personal accounts of Palestinian suffering appear two out of every three days, while comparable accounts of Israeli suffering rarely appear,” according to Edieal Pinker of the Yale School of Management, who reviewed 1,559 articles published by the NYT.

However, Shadows of October allows viewers to see – maybe for the first time – what many Israelis have been going through.

Benny Cauthen from Rushing River Productions told ALL ISRAEL NEWS that a major goal of the film is to humanize Israeli experiences of the horrors of the Hamas attack and the subsequent war and to advocate for a fair view of Israel's actions in response.

"Many people hold a bitterly negative view of Israelis and Jewish people abroad because of the false narratives being circulated and we wanted to show the plain humanity of the suffering that's occurred on October 7 and since," said Cauthen.

The film also explores causes of the conflict in an accessible yet compelling way, examining the ideology driving Hamas and how generations have been indoctrinated. Shocking articles from the 1988 Hamas Charter are spelled out, including the determination to “raise the banner of Allah over every inch of Palestine” and fight until “the enemies are defeated and Allah's victory prevails.”

Article 13 is also highlighted for an audience who may never have heard it, declaring that there is “no solution” to the Palestinian problem except jihad and revealingly that “the peaceful solutions, the peace initiatives, international conferences, anything to resolve the Palestinian problem are all contrary to the beliefs of the Islamic Resistance movement.”

Through a rare interview with Itamar Marcus, founder of Palestinian Media Watch, the film shows how the West has helped fund the “pay for slay” programs which provide generous salaries to convicted terrorists, to the tune of millions of dollars, and how the Palestinian Authority, often portrayed as a peace partner, has been responsible for the curriculum and textbooks that teach children to hate, perpetuating the violence. 

The film includes shocking footage of children’s programs which encourage murder, and of a little girl, around seven years old, proudly reciting words she had been taught: “In my eyes, you are meant for martyrdom. Jerusalem is ours, and our weapon is Islam, and our ammunition is our children,” she said with passion.

“The PA is the one who actually runs the schools in the Gaza Strip,” said Marcus, explaining that they pay the teachers and supply the school books. “It’s an easy jump to go straight from Palestine Authority education and end up in a terror organization like Hamas.”

For a more hope-filled message, Hazen then turns to Arab pastor Saleem Shalash for his perspective.

“The Lord changed my heart to show the people that we are one family,” said Shalash. “He is bringing Abraham’s family back again. He is bringing Ishmael and Isaac together. 
And they could live together if we understand the word of God, if we become peacemakers.” 

He spoke about his own journey of recognizing the miracle of Israel’s continued existence and the grace of God that made it possible.

“God’s plan will be fulfilled with me or without me, but I decided to become part of God’s plan,” he said.

“It's not about physical war, it's about spiritual war,” Shalash continued. “The 7th of October was a demonic terror attack… We saw things that we never saw in our life.”

He affirmed his determination to stand for the truth on behalf of both the Jews and Arabs of Israel.

“In the first Holocaust, the church was silent,” he said. “I call this the second Holocaust. And the church will not be silent.”

Cauthen explained that the film is inherently Christian in its heart for the Jewish people but that it was made to be accessible and relevant to people of all backgrounds.

"Ultimately, we hope this film impacts people of all political and religious beliefs, encouraging everyone to abandon oversimplified demonizations and to understand the complexities of the ongoing conflicts between Israel and her enemies."

He also expressed the hope that it will become well-known enough for those who disagree to watch it and perhaps change their minds."

Shadows of October streams on Apple TV, Amazon, and Google Play.