06:30, on ChaiFlicks

The crimes against humanity committed by Hamas on October 7th were unusually well documented. The killers themselves live-streamed their atrocities and murders. There is no excuse for ignorance. If you haven’t watched their footage due to your delicate nature, that is, in a way, an acknowledgement of their cruelty. However, in some ways, this documentary makes it easier for the audience to confront the horrors of 10/7. Instead of taking viewers to scenes of Hamas’s carnage, it uses miniature models, much like those Rithy Panh employed to tell his family’s story during the Cambodian genocide in The Missing Picture. Nevertheless, the savagery of the attacks remains inescapable in Alon Daniel’s 06:30, which premieres today on ChaiFlicks.

The survivors Daniel assembled were just ordinary people. They were married couples, teenagers, and music fans enjoying the Nova Festival. Many were also kibbutzniks, who among Israelis are considered most likely to support a peaceful two state solution. Many endured serious injuries and in some cases avoided death through sheer luck. In numerous cases, they survived thanks to the sacrifices of loved one.

Ironically, subsequent to the production of 06:30, it has been revealed that a teenage hostage’s story was even more perilous than the film suggests. That is saying a lot, considering the young man fully explains how he was shot in the stomach and nearly starved during his captivity. However, Ynet News later revealed that his father was a Muslim Arab Kibbutz member, which might have been considered treasonous by his son’s Hamas abductors, so his parents kept his father’s identity secret during the hostage-release negotiations.

Regardless, 06:30 still holds up in pretty much every respect. The eye-witness accounts it collects were still fresh in the survivors’ memories. In fact, this was the first time many had shared their experiences publicly. Consequently, it is clear that offering their testimony held great significance for them. Arguably, what is so striking about 06:30 is just how everyday normal the survivors appear. They were not spoiling for a fight. As one survivor puts it, “we are not warmongers, we are peace mongers.”

Frankly, with a running time just over one-hour, 06:30 ought to be screened in American schools on 10/7. It would help students understand the realities of terrorism and the global rise of Jew-hatred, with no violence or gore for over-protective parents to object to. However, reports of escalating antisemitism in teacher’s unions suggests that is not likely to happen anytime soon. It is up you as parents—and 06:30 is something your teens should see. In fact, all viewers of good conscience should watch 06:30. Highly recommended, it starts streaming today (10/4) on ChaiFlicks.