An art exhibition uniting religious and secular artists in a creative response to the trauma of October 7 was held Sunday at the Shafir Youth Center in southern Israel.
The event was part of "Creating Space", a yearlong initiative by the Herzog Center for Promoting Inclusive Creativity. Curated by Israeli designer Zohar Yerom, the exhibition featured works in various mediums, including movement, poetry, painting, sculpture, and video art.
Audience members were invited to participate in the creative process, helping shape the tone and content of the evening.
A central installation, The Womb—created by theater artist Avivit Shaked—offered a dark, immersive space accompanied by a heartbeat sound effect. Visitors, holding chalk and lanterns, were invited to write memories of life on October 6, the day before the Hamas-led massacre in Israel.
From there, an “umbilical cord” pathway led attendees to The Birth Room, a chaotic, visceral installation created by artist Avital Ora Fishwait. At the evening’s conclusion, participants were encouraged to paint images representing healing, peace, and homecoming.
Exploring the connection between creativity and identity
Throughout the year, participants in the Herzog Center’s “Creating Space” program gathered to explore the connection between creativity and identity.
The program, developed for multidisciplinary artists living and working in the South, runs in partnership with Partnership Together of Kiryat Gat-Lachish-Shafir-Chicago.
Organizers said returning to artistic work after October 7 had been emotionally difficult for many participants, but ultimately healing. The initiative fostered a safe, inclusive space for religious and secular artists, right- and left-wing alike, to create and connect.
“We live inside a volcano of events—a reality where it’s hard to separate good from evil, light from darkness,” said Yael Belenky, CEO of the Herzog Center. “When words fail, art becomes the strongest language of expression. Social resilience is not only our ability to withstand the storm, but to gather the fragments and build a new, better world. Creating Space shows that when we truly connect, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Roei Shalom Zamir, who facilitated the "Creating Space" program, explained: “We named the evening ‘Between the Twilights’ to symbolize the complex emotions experienced between Memorial Day and Independence Day. Together with the audience, we embarked on a shared journey—one of pain and hope—expressed through art.”
Dilemma about whether to postpone the event amid mourning
Some attendees came directly from the funeral of Sergeant Neta Yitzhak Kahane, an officer in the Border Police, who was killed in battle while fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Amos Zarukh, pedagogical director of the Herzog Center and producer of “Creating Space,” shared his dilemma about whether to postpone the event amid mourning:
“Despite the pain, we chose to hold an art event rooted in Jewish-Israeli spirit, touching the soul’s depths and moving between light and darkness, darkness and light. At this time, we chose to mark a point of life, listening, and meaning — expressing gratitude and continuity thanks to the heroes and heroines who choose every day to create here, with strength and faith, a better world.”
The event also served as the launch of a new community of artists in southern Israel. The Herzog Center said it aims to support this emerging network and encourages residents of the Negev to explore their heritage and help “create space” for shared life.