Former hostage Eli Sharabi, actress Shani Cohen to host October 7 remembrance ceremony

Former hostage Eli Sharabi and actress Shani Cohen will host this year’s independent national memorial ceremony for the families of October 7 in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park.

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I am very excited to host this year's national memorial ceremony for the families of October 7.

The ceremony will take place on October 7, 2026, and is being organized by Kumu, an Israeli grassroots movement that says the lessons of October 7 must not be forgotten. It was first held in 2024 after bereaved families declined to participate in the government’s state ceremony, citing its handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

Sharabi said he wanted to honor his wife Leanne, his daughters Noya and Yahel, and his brother Yossi. “October 7 must remain engraved in our hearts as an iron date forever. It must not be blurred, and time must not forget,” he said.

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October 7 must remain engraved in our hearts as an iron date forever. It must not be blurred, and time must not forget.

Cohen said she had accompanied families and others through their grief since the attacks. She said she was proud to lead the ceremony with Sharabi, whom she described as someone who had chosen life despite what he had endured.

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October 7 is a significant event in all of our lives.

Omri Shafroni, an organizer who lost four family members in Kibbutz Be’eri, said the ceremony would express shared pain, responsibility and hope. He called Sharabi a symbol of survival and Cohen “a symbol of Israeliness,” saying they were well suited to tell the story of the families and Israeli society. The ceremony’s start time and lineup have not yet been announced.

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I am very moved by the hosts who chose to lead the ceremony.