250 young professionals hear Kibbutz residents’ October 7th survival story
'It was not bravery, it was a battle for survival, filled with miracles,' Kibbutz Mefalsim husband and wife Shaked and Yifat Porat tell Jewish Learning Exchange guests
Two hundred and fifty young professionals gathered at a social centre for young Jews on Wednesday evening for a conversation between two survivors of the October 7th massacre.
The Jewish Learning Exchange (JLE) event at its Golders Green headquarters saw guests listening in as husband and wife Shaked and Yifat Porat, brought over to the UK by UJIA this week, shared their story, followed by an interview with Jewish rights activist and influencer Rudy Rochman.
Rabbi Dov Cowan, director of JLE Young Professionals, introduced the survivors, explaining to the audience that “whilst we are still processing the horrific attack of October 7th, the hostages and the ongoing war, the victims themselves are still reeling, still in the very midst of their trauma and loss”.
The Porat’s were residents of Kibbutz Mefalsim in southern Israel, located on the Gaza border. Kibbutz Mefalsim is partnered with UJIA, part of an initiative to partner kibbutizim with diaspora communities, and has a population of around 1,000 people.
The Porat’s witnessed the horrific murder of their family and friends, and explained the background of their survival story. Shaked and Yifat started their married life in Tel Aviv but moved to the kibbutz in 2025 as they wanted raise a family within a kibbutz community. They have three children, ages 6, 10 and 12.
Yifat said: “Before this past October, life was 90% heaven. Everyone knew each other, helped each other. The 10% of hell of life in our kibbutz was the rockets and scares that happened periodically from the neighbouring Gaza strip”.
On October 7th Shaked, who was a member of the security team of the kibbutz, received a message from the volunteer security squad. He grabbed his weapon and phone, and left the house. As he ran to protect the kibbutz, he found himself under heavy bullet fire. Hamas terrorists had broken into the settlement.
Yafet and their three children closed themselves in their home’s shelter. Yafet stood covering the door. At one point, she saw the shadow of a man trying to open the door. They had no phone reception or electricity. The terrorists knew the layout of the kibbutz and about 30 had infiltrated.
At 11 am the next day, the air force bombed the surrounding 130 terrorists who had gathered around the kibbutz. Two days later, full of dead bodies, the kibbutz looked like a scene from a horror film. The Porat family, together with the entire community, were relocated to Herziliya.
Shaked said: “Some people see it as a story of survival but it was not bravery, it was a battle for survival, filled with miracles. Our kibbutz was lucky. We want to return to the kibbutz in July, but life will never be the same. It is this feeling of togetherness that has kept us going as a nation, and we feel it here tonight in London too.
“To witness over 250 young people listening to our story today; you are also the frontline of Jewish people, fighting antisemitism in the UK. We are one big family, one nation with one heart. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Also speaking was Rudy Rochman, a Jewish and Israeli rights activist and influencer,
Interviewed by Sacha Johnstone, JLE Young Professional consultant, he discussed his experiences of witnessing the mass student protests and “encampments” at Columbia and New York Universities.
As a reserve paratrooper in the wake of October 7th, Rochman’s unit was first deployed in Kfar Aza, clearing the kibbutz of large groups of Hamas terrorists, and then in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. He spoke of the propaganda materials he found in Gaza and of the terror infrastructure and tunnels he encountered.
Rudy ended with a message of unity and empowerment: “As Jews, we come from a long line before us, and need to write the next chapter. We need to know who we are and be proud of it”.
Rabbi Benjy Morgan, chief executive officer of the JLE, said: “We are honoured to have heard survivors of October 7th, true heroes of our People, and to have been motivated by the sheer activism of Rudy Rochman.
“Today, our situation as a nation could be seen dire, but people like Yafet, Shaked, and Rudy have shown us that we must be proud of who were are and do what is right. This is a message for Jewish people everywhere. At the JLE, we want everyone to be proud of their Jewish heritage and identity”.
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