Like the lives of all Israelis, Hanoch Daum’s life changed completely on October 7. Since then, together with his wife Efrat and a group of volunteers, he has become a real organization to help reservists, he volunteered to lead the family ceremony on October 7 and tried to calm the storm that was created around it – and this coming Monday, a new comedy drama based on his book “Life is a period” will be released Kesha” in which there is also a game (the premiere episode after the news in Beshet 12).
In an interview with Ofira and Levinson, Daum explained why he believes that despite the hard blow we have suffered, a little optimism can be drawn, he participated in helping the businesses of reservists – and admitted that over the past year he has asked himself a lot about the place of humor in the current situation. “The series is a comedy drama, there is comedy in it. But I have a question that I have been dealing with for the past year about the place of comedy. I feel that the reality is bad and difficult, when you try to make a comedy show you don’t change it but give people air”, he explained.
From the point of view of the television personality, it is not the issue but the people of Israel who are mobilizing en masse to help those who did not hesitate to go out and fight for us. “Many businesses have been saved thanks to the people, when I ask people to help, the business owners call and say: ‘Stop,’ a tremendous mobilization. It’s not just me, there is Efrat and a whole army of volunteers,” Firgan.
You see the enmity around the camps, see it also around the ceremony. There is a lot of anger, resentment. How do you bridge this gap between what seems like the brink of a fratricidal war and masses of people who want to do good?
“There are two ways to answer this. I was amazed to visit soldiers who said they entered a house in Otef, people who sacrificed their lives for the sake of people they didn’t know, even from the other camp. This is compared to the discourse where people want to kill each other. The answer is: there are all kinds of parts in us. There are all Mini sides, good and less good. The task I took on was to light up the good sides on October 7, when we were as low as possible, there was no country but no army but yes fighters It’s true that we’ve drifted apart a bit since then.”
But nothing came of it.
“It came out, now we know that we are capable of it. We remembered after this blow that we have the potential of an amazing people who come together. There is no precedent for the amount of kindness I meet and the voluntary action of the citizens.”
When you decided to lead the ceremony together with Rotem Sela, not under Regev fire, you came under heavy fire.
“I am at peace with this ceremony. On October 7 at 19:10 a new practice will begin, we do not yet have a tradition. It will last for decades, there will be a siren. Then Rabbi Tamir Garnot who lost his son will say Yazkor and Rabbi Slotaki who lost two children who were Be’er Sheva and go out with guns to fight. There will be tens of thousands of people at the ceremony, and there will be commemorative videos for all the fallen. There will be a whole area of kidnapped and bereaved families.”
He also added about the controversy regarding the ceremonies. “The beauty is that after a tumultuous day we were able to turn it into something that is not a split screen in its being,” he said. “The solution for the State of Israel, and I try to show this in the series, is that each group in Israeli society will give up 20% of the passion they have for their cause. The Israeli majority, and there is a majority here in the nation that I believe in, is normative and wants to do good. If we focus on it, we will win.”
Why is politics still so toxic and becoming even more so by the day?
“This is a global phenomenon connected to digital. Since October 7, I have met tens of thousands of soldiers, literally tens of thousands, and I can’t help but tell you that I believe that the old destroyed but the young will repair. This generation is so wonderful and knows how to work together, it is impossible that it will not bring the good news “.
Are you interested in politics?
“I’m interested in the beach. It won’t happen in my life, why not?”
Nothing prepared you for what you will be after October 7th.
“There was no choice. I felt that it was either to sink into the depths of depression or to choose to do good. I recommend everyone to go to Sheba, to the family area. We leave with an elation, the sense of doing keeps us going.”
Let’s talk about the memory videos.
“There are families who lost their loved ones on October 7th and since then so many deaths. The news didn’t even mention them, they set up Instagram pages. The least we can do is the project that makes a video for every one who falls, we ask the families to contact us. This is done with the directors and editors most Good, it will accompany the ceremony and everyone is invited.”
Do you know how you will open the ceremony?
“I think the siren, I hope they will let us in more than 40,000 people. The place was already full, and people registered without being required to pay. There was an opportunity to donate, and they have already donated a quarter of a million shekels. I ask that there be good news for the people of Israel.”
And on another subject, there is also a series coming up.
“The series comes out on Monday, it is based on my book. It was an initiative of Molly Segev who read the book and sent me a message that we would make a series. It was an experience unlike anything else, acting is the hardest thing in the world. At some point I regretted it and they forced me, now I happy”.
Where will the country be next year?
“Because besides the blow we took we discovered strengths that I didn’t know we had in us, these strengths of ours distinguish us from the enemy.”
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