“Magnificent. This is the book to read about the day that changed Israel and the Jewish people.“—Yossi Klein Halevi, author, Like Dreamers, winner of the Jewish Book Council’s Everett Book of the Year Award

“That one day in October was a dramatic inflection point in our history, and this book touches it with tenderness, purity, and a compassionate gaze that illuminates countless moments of beauty. I have no doubt that these forty heroes will stay with me for a long time to come.“—Makor Rishon

Shaylee put her little finger in her newborn baby’s mouth to keep her quiet. Shlomo sat on the couch and pretended to be asleep. Nasreen removed the laces from her children’s shoes. Mickey demanded that the terrorist keep his promise. Amit comforted the last patient in the clinic. Aner threw seven live grenades out of the public shelter. Emanuel made sure that a fallen soldier’s love letter would reach its destination. And it all happened on a single day, one day in October.

October 7th, 2023, was the most tragic day in Israeli history. Hamas terrorist forces attacked and ravaged the Gaza border area, killing 1200 and taking 250 hostage. Hamas murdered and brutalized young and old, Jew and non-Jew, civilian and soldier. And in response, from every strand of Israeli society, heroes stepped forward to save lives and defend their humanity.

One Day in October introduces us to forty real-life Israeli heroes from that day, in their own words. All forty stories take place within the same twenty-four-hour period, in the same patch of beautiful, broken, blood-soaked land. These heroes are unforgettable, their stories inconceivable.
Emerging from the pain and sorrow inflicted on that day, these first-person accounts offer consolation and hope.