‘Bearing Witness’ Screening at Museum of Tolerance Draws Community Leaders and Demonstrations

The horror film “Bearing Witness,” depicting the massacre carried out by Hamas in Israel on October 7th, was unlike anything Hollywood had ever seen before. The 200-plus attendees at the Museum of Tolerance for the Wednesday, November 8th screening underwent tight security checks and were asked to leave their phones at the front desk. The 47-minute film, compiled by the Israel Defense Forces, consists of short videos from Hamas bodycams, cell phones, car dashboard cameras, first responders, and CCTV. This same video was viewed by Knesset members in Israel, leading some to leave midway through the screening, while others were seen sobbing, and one member even fainted.

The audience’s reaction in Los Angeles was mixed. Some viewers stood up at the end of the screening and shouted, “Why didn’t you show the rape? The beheading?” – a sentiment shared by some within the audience.

“It was shocking, but not something I hadn’t seen play out over the past month,” said Sharona Cooper, the publisher of Israeli Weekly magazine. Actor Mark Feuerstein (“Defiance”) had a different reaction. In an interview with The Jewish Journal, Feuerstein expressed his shock at what he saw: “I’m a wreck. I was sobbing and shaking throughout the film. Anyone who sees this film won’t be able to deny what happened there. Witnessing the inhumanity of man makes you wonder how it’s possible for people like that to exist in the world. It’s hard to comprehend how anyone can look at the faces of families and babies and kill. How can these people be human beings? It was pure evil.”

“I’m a wreck. I was sobbing and shaking throughout the film. Anyone who sees this film won’t be able to deny what happened there.” – Mark Feuerstein

Rabbi Marvin Hier, president, and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, emphasized the audience’s duty to tell people what they had seen: “We owe it to the 1,400-plus victims and their families to bear witness.’” Jews were always targeted and murdered and instead of being 200 million Jews today in the world, Rabbi Hier said, “we have only 14 million Jews. We are the leftovers of the pogroms and Hitler.” He then added that despite Hamas efforts to kill all Jews, they are the ones who “will become the dust of history.”

Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, addressed the audience, stating, “This video will change the way you view the Middle East and how you perceive Gaza.” He added, “People keep asking me why they filmed themselves doing that, and I answer that they want to terrorize Israelis so they will never feel safe in Israel.” He further emphasized that for Israelis to be safe again, Hamas needs to be eradicated completely. Other notable figures who attended the screening included Mattel’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, and actress Swell Ariel Or (“The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem”).

While the film was being shown, some 50 demonstrators — both pro and anti-Israel — gathered outside the museum. According to the LAPD, smaller groups returned to the museum an hour after the screening and a fight broke out. Order was restored when officers returned to the area. There were two reported batteries, but no one was arrested.

Sara Greenberg and Melissa Zukerman worked with the IDF and their international spokesman Amnon Shefler to organize the event with support from the ADL and the AJC.