Several Jewish congregations, including Adath Jeshurun, Old York Road Temple-Beth Am, Keneseth Israel, Shaare Shamayim, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia worked together to share Matan Boltax's story with congregants.
Boltax said on the morning of October 7, 2023, he and his friends were at the Nova Music Festival in Israel. They were gearing up to have a fun day together when everything suddenly changed.
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"The rockets started, which definitely frightened us, but is nothing out of the normal," he explained. "We obviously had no clue that terrorists had broken through the border and were shooting at anyone in sight."
After about a half hour of waiting, Boltax and his friends fled the festival in their car.
He said they eventually found shelter in a stranger's home as chaos unfolded outside.
"We saw one pickup truck with Hamas terrorists shooting in the distance at other people," he said. "We saw bodies on the side of the road, lots of accidents, rockets had fallen on the highway."
On Monday night, the 23-year-old shared his story with hundreds of people gathered at the Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park. Together, the congregants marked one year since the attack that sparked a violent war in the Middle East.
War rages on multiple fronts as Israel marks a year since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack
"Everyone needs to use this day to take a look at what happened and see the events for what they were. It was a horrific event," said Jason Holtzman, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Holtzman added, "We should never forget what happened on October 7th, 2023, and we should use it as a reminder to stand up for peace, stand against terrorists, and stand against hate."
Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people during the attack and took another 250 hostage. Officials estimate about 100 hostages remain in captivity, many of them feared dead.
Boltax said the day after the attack, "I went to reserve duty in the Army, stayed two months until I decided I needed to spend time at home. And now, I'm committed to sharing my story."
Boltax, who was born in New York, moved to Israel with his family in 2009. He's now back in the U.S. to share his story at colleges and congregations, like the one in Elkins Park.
"I didn't think I would go through this tragic event or that it would even happen," he said. "No one my age, or at all, deserves to go through what had happened to us."