Man shares story of being in Israel during Hamas attack ahead of Twin Cities exhibit opening
Lawrence Badzin was born and raised in Minnesota. But for the past 25 years, he's called Israel home.
Badzin remembers exactly where he was on Oct. 7th, 2023, when the Hamas attacks began.
"I was getting ready in the bathroom to go to synagogue, and the sirens went off. We live in Tel Aviv, which is generally not a place that gets sirens. Everybody immediately knew there was something out of the norm that was happening," said Badzin.
It was an unprecedented, multifront attack on the Jewish state at daybreak on a Jewish holiday, catching the country off guard.
The terror attack killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians. More than 250 were taken hostage.
Kfar Azza, a small community just a few miles from the Gaza border, was among the targets.
"The burnt houses, the exploded houses, the ransacking that took place is beyond description," said Badzin. "We decided, my wife and I, that we wanted to bring our staff down and visit one of the kibbutzim. We had backed into Kfar Azza and just connected real strong with the community."
That connection led them to the "Through Their Eyes: The Story of Kfar Azza" exhibit in Israel.
"It's not about death. It's about how resilient the community is to keep on going, because of these amazing lives that were lost and the hope they have for the future," Badzin said.
The immersive experience is broken into five sections — highlighting civilians lost, first responders, rescue and defense forces, hostages and real-time group chats from the day of the attack.
"You start to realize that these deaths are so senseless, and they need to stop," said Badzin.
Alongside his wife and sister, Badzin created "The Surviving Project," a volunteer initiative to bring the exhibit to the U.S., starting in Minnesota.
The terrorist attacks and ensuing Israeli War against Hamas in Gaza have darkened hopes for peace in the region.
Badzin hopes that bringing the exhibit to the U.S. will help people find light.
"When you go through this exhibit, and you see that these were simple human beings like yourself and myself, I think that passes a strong message versus what people see and hear," he said.
Sharing Israeli families' stories of resilience and hope while supporting rebuilding efforts in Kfar Azza.
"They continue to move forward, they continue to stay together with the goal of returning to the community, and even with that, a lot of them still believe in peace," said Badzin.
"I think it's not a cliché to say we're a family," Liri Sobol, Kfar Azza resident and survivor of the attacks, told WCCO on Sept. 26 of the community. "I take inspiration from the resilience of our community."
Like Badzin, Sobol also remembers the harrowing moments of Oct. 7.
"For me it's gunshots," Sobol recalled. "That morning, when you hear the story of people from Kfar Azza, it's the same thing. The moment we understood that something else was going on is the gunshots. We never heard gunshots this close to the kibbutz."
The exhibit runs from now through Oct. 11 in St. Louis Park. Tickets are $10. Proceeds support rebuilding efforts in Kfar Azza. Click here for more information.
Sobol will also join other survivors, including Keith Siegal, an American who was held hostage by Hamas, at a special even on Sunday. Learn more about tickets here.