Beauty for Ashes documentary: Oct 7 through the eyes of Jewish and Arab believers

Described as “a story the headlines didn’t tell,” a new documentary about Oct. 7 has gathered Jewish and Arab believers in Jesus to share their unique perspectives, resulting in a powerful combined testimony entitled “Beauty for Ashes.”

The film, produced by the Fellowship of Israel Related Ministries (FIRM), manages to convey some of the heartbreak and heroism emerging from the events of and following Oct. 7, 2023. It also highlights the unity and hope that come from believing in Jesus.

ALL ISRAEL NEWS correspondent, Kayla Sprague, was assistant producer on the project and talked to director Rebecca Kroese about the inspiration for the film.

“October 7th was the greatest trauma that this nation… has gone through,” said Kroese. “And then to see shortly a few weeks after October 7th the response in the media and the echoes around the world, it shocked my system to see the antisemitism rising, the disinformation that was rising. And such a quick shift from compassion to judgment and animosity… it was overwhelming,” she shared.

“The war in the media was a real one and it was becoming more evident every day. For me the reason why we made this documentary is to be a voice in the midst of that and specifically one on behalf of the believing community here in Israel, because that was a story that was not being told whatsoever,” Kroese explained.

Over the course of an hour, “Beauty for Ashes” looks at the recent conflict through the eyes of a Palestinian pastor, a Messianic Jewish mother, and a believing Israeli soldier, sharing stories never told in the media. Though raw and harrowing in places, the powerful documentary highlights the beauty of hope in Jesus rising from the ashes of the war.

Rather than focusing on politics, the story is centered around the spiritual dimension of the events, giving a window into how faith in Jesus can bring healing, hope, and reconciliation even between supposed enemies.

“This story is so multifaceted,” said Kroese. “There is the political side, the military side, the spiritual side, believers, hostages, Hamas… And it was important for me, especially in the middle of the media war of misinformation, that we were doing our very best to be as integrous as we possibly could in our storytelling.”

The desire to faithfully tell every side of the story led to a shocking idea to even relay the point of view of the terrorists.

“It shows the importance of wanting to tell the story firsthand as much as possible and that's what we did,” said Kroese. “We put all the sticky notes on the big board… There were a lot of sides and we had to weed a lot of things out in order to craft the story.”

After praying over every aspect and angle, the team eventually produced the documentary together with the accompanying toolkit to help viewers get as much as possible out of the experience.

“We want to tell the story well, and that doesn't mean just sharing our opinion. That actually means elevating voices of varying thought and not adding only to one echo chamber, but bringing a more holistic perspective for people to be able to watch and make up their own mind,” Kroese explained.

When asked what the most challenging part of the process had been, Kroese shared that it had been watching the harrowing footage from the massacre on Oct. 7.

“I had to go through all the raw footage of October 7th, all the ashes, all the trauma, and then after going through hours of footage, I had to go feed my boys. I had to go make dinner. And so the challenge was between being a witness of such grief, such pain, and such hatred and at the same time having to turn around and embrace my boys and embrace life and teach them and walk out love in the midst of all of that while going through all your own emotions.”

“That was hard and the truth is that the voice of hatred and the voice of pain is always going to be heard louder than the voice of love and the voice of reason,” she added.

However, Kroese shared that there were also moments of great hope in the process of making the documentary.

“Walking with these believers, especially three specific ones that we highlight, a Palestinian pastor, a Jewish pastor, and then an IDF soldier… To hear them walk out their story, walk out their life, their grief, their struggles, and then in the midst of all of that, the constant echo of the love of Jesus… That was the highlight. That is the beauty. And so to see that the name of Jesus in their life was held high and was the actual driving force behind the life that they still had. That's the beauty. Jesus is the beauty in these ashes.”

There have always been bridges between Jews and Palestinians but some have been burned, with meetings and dialogue breaking down due to the unbearable situation. Speaking of some such meetings that had been happening for 20 years, Kroese said, “They stopped on October 7th, but it wasn't because of hatred, It was because of pain,” adding that, “through Jesus that pain can absolutely be bridged.”

The devastation from Oct. 7 has rippled out throughout the world, and the need for healing is global.

“Even Christians around the world were struggling to see – truth from lies – and were losing an eye on their brother that's here in Israel. The unity that is being walked out every day by believers here on the ground is a testimony to the world, I believe, of how it can be, and that there doesn't have to be that divide,” Kroese insisted.

“I hope that this will be the start of a conversation. I hope that it starts dialogue between people again about the difficult things that we're facing here in the Middle East,” she said of the film. “I hope it will start a conversation and that it will bring people together once again.”

Giving a word of advice to those planning to watch the documentary, which is available to watch free of charge, Kroese encouraged,

“As you watch this film, I just want to challenge you to not just watch it and absorb information in your head, but to really let it touch your heart. Let it touch your emotions and ask God what He wants to speak to you through this and discover what's there for you. What we've seen is clear: the story doesn't end in ashes. We're seeing beauty and hope rise through Yeshua.”

With respected voices including Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Hananya Naftali included in the film, the “Beauty for Ashes” documentary offers a wide range of perspectives, contributing clarity and hope in a time of deep division.