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7 October 2023 through the lens of an award winning photojournalist
'A profound responsibility to bear witness': The British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel hosts Chen G. Schimmel
The British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel (BFAMI) hosted a moving evening with award-winning photojournalist Chen G. Schimmel, discussing her work since the 7 October mass terror attack.
Led by co-chair Pamela Crystal, the event centred around Schimmel’s newly published book, ‘October 7th: Bearing Witness’, offering a lens through which to encounter the atrocities of and since 7 October, 2023.
Chen G. Schimmel is a young London-born Israeli photojournalist whose work gained international recognition after the 7 October attacks. Having discovered photography during her military service, she now documents the human impact of war as a staff photojournalist for The Jerusalem Post.
Her images portray displaced families, wounded soldiers, hostage families, and survivors, emphasizing resilience amid devastation.
Her series “October 7th: Bearing Witness” has been exhibited internationally, and her photograph “Holy Work” won the Edut Mekomit Photograph of the Year Award in 2024. Schimmel’s work serves both as historical documentation and as a tribute to the strength of those affected.
Pamela Crystal spoke of “the obligation to acknowledge and document the human suffering and the atrocities”, noting that Schimmel had “turned it around to growth, to future, to hope.”
Photography: Amber Pollack Photography
In response, Schimmel said that “The root for why I made this book, is that I feel that I have a responsibility. I have a responsibility to bear witness. This book must be in every Jewish home so that we never forget. I am a granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and so for me it is my duty and responsibility.
“It really is up to us how, as a Jewish people, a Jewish nation, and Israel, we will grow out from the rubble and ash and move forward.”
- BFAMI fosters cultural ties between the UK and Israel through events, partnerships, and community-building initiatives. Pamela Crystal, together with co-chair Poju Zabludowicz, actively work to counter cultural boycotts targeting Israeli and Jewish artists, ensuring they receive visibility and support.
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