71 Winter 2025 ntroduction As the horrific events of October 7 unfolded in Southern Israel, an urgent need arose to document the atrocities in real-time. In response, the Edut 710 project (short for testimonies of October 7) was launched as an oral documentation initiative. The project serves the dual purposes of preserving history and documenting the stories of the survivors. Edut 710 emerged as a collaborative, multi-disciplinary civic initiative undertaken by volunteers from diverse fields including film, history, and therapy. The initiative was established in the immediate aftermath of the attack, even before the full scale of the disaster was known. The project’s primary objective is to construct an archive of testimonies that adheres to the highest professional and ethical standards, while also serving multiple constituencies: survivors and their families, students and teachers, artists, and researchers. Central to the project’s methodology is its survivorcentric approach, which seeks to respond to trauma while maintaining deep sensitivity to the needs of individuals, communities, and Israeli society as a whole. The project’s temporal proximity to the events distinguishes it significantly from previous testimony collection efforts, such as Holocaust survivor testimonies, which were predominantly collected decades after the events occurred. This documentation presents both unique opportunities and challenges in capturing traumatic experiences. Theoretical Framework and Ethical Approach The project’s theoretical and ethical foundation draws substantial inspiration from the work of Dori Laub (19372018), a psychoanalyst, Holocaust survivor, and worldrenowned expert on testimony and trauma. Professor Laub is also known for pioneering the Fortunoff archive, which was the first video testimony project for Holocaust survivors at Yale University. Laub’s theoretical framework characterizes traumatic events through the lens of survivors’ loss of control and their difficulty in processing the experience. Within this framework, video testimony serves as a medium through which survivors can be heard and fragmented traumatic memories can transform into coherent narratives. In Laub’s conception, the interviewer assumes the role of “listener,” serving as a companion in the survivor’s journey through traumatic experiences. This approach transforms the testimony session into an opportunity for survivors to reclaim ownership of their survival narrative and break free from silence and isolation. The testimony process, fundamentally led by the survivor, ensures his or her control and ownership over the narrative. This theoretical grounding is manifested in Edut 710’s methodological approach of using mental health and trauma specialists to carefully conduct the interviews and guide the testimony collection. The project operates on a principle of survivor initiative, allowing each of them to determine the timing and conditions of their testimony. This ethical commitment is formalized through a dual consent process, wherein survivors provide initial consent for testimony and its use, followed by a second approval after editing. Documentation Methodology and Organizational Structure At the core of Edut 710’s work lies the process of testimony collection. This begins with preliminary research, followed by the assignment of a filming team, which meets with the witness, secures his or her consent, and records the testimony. Once the documentation is complete, the editing phase commences and creates two formats: a short version (up to five minutes) and a fulllength version. This stage also includes content editing, data extraction, and AI-driven transcription and translation followed by human quality control. The edited versions are then sent back to the witness for approval. Materials are stored on a server, uploaded to the project’s YouTube channel and website, shared on social media, and archived in the digital archive. The project’s organizational structure evolved from an Edut 710: Documentary and Legal Considerations in the Collection of October 7 Testimonies Renana Keydar I
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