ANU’s ‘October 7’ capsule exhibit travels to Armenia

The exhibit “October 7” by the ANU Museum of the Jewish People, which opened in February 2024, months after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, has opened in Armenia.

The exhibit features pieces by artists who experienced the attacks from both near and far, on October 7 and in the days and weeks that followed.

It was inaugurated last week in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, in a special opening event attended by representatives of the Israeli Embassy and Michal Houminer, one of the exhibit’s curators at ANU.

Last year, after the exhibit had already been in place for some eight months, the museum worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to launch a capsule version of “October 7,” which has traveled to Jewish communities and cultural institutions worldwide.

The local Armenian Jewish community is made up mostly of Jews who immigrated from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent war.

Many of them were present at last week’s opening event attended by representatives of the Israeli Embassy in Armenia and Armenian government officials.

“My personal encounter with the members of the Yerevan community added a sense of human warmth and a genuine connection between hearts within the Jewish community,” said Houminer in a statement about the event.

Oded Revivi, CEO of ANU, noted that the exhibit enables a meaningful dialogue about the events of the devastating October 7 Hamas terrorist attack and the Israeli art community’s response.

Like many other Israeli museums reacting to the events of October 7, ANU worked quickly to put together the “October 7” exhibit, following artists’ posts on social media and gathering their artworks, as well as assembling a massive selection of work from photojournalists who documented that day.