News Reporter Documents Grief Journey After Sister's Oct. 7 Murder

Chen Zander, a reporter for Israel's News 13, has created a filmed journey with her mother to process the loss of her sister, Noa, who was murdered in the October 7th Hamas attack. Zander explained that the idea to film conversations with her mother emerged as the one-year anniversary approached, providing a way to explore difficult topics she hadn't previously discussed with her mother.

The project, which involved revisiting the site where Noa was killed and places she loved, also delves into the profound changes within the family. Zander described how her parents, while alive and healthy, are no longer the same people they were before the tragedy. "I lost my sister on October 7th, but somehow I also lost my mother and father," she stated, expressing a hope that the film would convey to her mother how important she is to her surviving children.

Zander noted that each of her four siblings is coping with the loss differently. She herself is focused on her family and work, while another brother moved to Cyprus, and a third, who was closest in age to Noa, is struggling significantly. A central theme explored in the film is the surviving children's need for their mother's presence and support, contrasted with her own deep grief.

"We don't want to burden her, and some of the conversations were like whispering to her that we are here, and that we need her," Zander said. She added that her siblings also need a nurturing mother, but her mother, upon returning home, often retreats into her role as a grieving parent, focusing on her loss rather than her remaining family.