“From October 6 to October 7,” a documentary chronicling the life of retired Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, chairman of the executive at the Jewish Agency for Israel, made its international premiere during the 37th Israel Film Festival in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 15.
Four hundred people attended the Jewish Agency-sponsored event at the Fine Arts Theatre, with the film’s screening followed by a Q&A with Almog moderated by Julie B. Platt, immediate past chair of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America.
At the Jewish Agency, Almog has made clear that this moment in Israel’s history demands more than remembrance. It demands action.
Founded to strengthen the bond between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, the Jewish Agency is leading efforts to support recovery, resilience and Jewish unity in the aftermath of Oct. 7.
Almog, an Israel Prize laureate, has described the organization’s mission as “to reach the heart of every Jew on Earth.”
Spanning from the battles during the Yom Kippur War to the horrors of Oct. 7, Almog’s story is inseparable from Israel’s modern timeline. The documentary recounts the life of a true leader as he transforms personal loss and sacrifice into a legacy of hope and resilience.
As a young officer during the Yom Kippur War, he fought in the Sinai while his brother Eran served in the Golan Heights, learning of his brother’s death shortly after the ceasefire. He went on to serve 34 years in the IDF and repeatedly needed to cope with the deaths of his fellow soldiers, including in his role as commander of Israel’s Southern Command from 2000 to 2003.
Tragedy struck again when his son Eran, named after his brother, died at a young age from Castleman disease. Yet from that loss came Almog’s awakening about the invisible suffering of families like his own. He eventually founded ADI Negev–Nahalat Eran, a rehabilitation village named for his son.
In 2022, Almog was selected as chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency, dedicating himself to strengthening Jewish peoplehood worldwide. “By working together, we will ignite flame and pride in our work for a future of hope for future generations,” he said at the time of his nomination.
Today, as his leadership of The Jewish Agency comes in a moment of renewed Israeli devastation and recovery, the new documentary’s message is clear: Israel’s tragedies do not end, but neither does the Jewish state’s will to rebuild.
