Full Breakdown
Healing Through Rock: *The Bridge* Documentary Highlights Israeli Survivors’ Journey
8/22/2026, 9:37:42 PM
The Film and Its Jerusalem Screening
*The Bridge* follows ten Israelis whose lives were shattered by the October 7 attacks and who later traveled to Los Angeles for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp. The documentary opened with footage of the attacks and interwove interviews in which participants described loss, kidnapping and the death of loved ones. After the camp experience, the film was shown at an emotional screening in the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem. The audience included U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, camp founder David Fishof, and several of the Israeli participants.
Background and Purpose
The October 7 assault left many survivors unable to engage with music; Valeria Dvorkin said she could not even listen to music in her car afterward. In March 2024, the group attended the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp, where veteran musicians from Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen and Black Sabbath mentored them. The camp was intended as a “bridge” between cultures, offering a space for Israelis to reclaim creative expression amid ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations in the United States. Participants such as Tuval Haim, whose brother Yotam was killed in friendly fire, and Bar Rudaeff, whose father Lior was murdered, used the experience to reconnect with music and each other.
Official Statements & Responses
Fishof noted that the camp changed “people’s visions about Israel” and that hearing survivors’ stories allowed audiences to grasp the “real horrific things” they endured on October 7. Sam Grundwerg, world chairman of Keren Hayesod–UIA, said the project hoped to reach music lovers with the human story of the survivors. Fishof also expressed that recent antisemitic sentiment made the film’s impact personally significant and that he now aims to bring Rock Camp to Israel, enabling survivors to write and perform songs with professional musicians.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Music has the power to take our worst moments and help us to put them behind us,” — Israel Mike Huckabee
- “It was just so amazing to see how we changed all these people’s visions about Israel,” — David Fishof, Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s founder and director
- “What we’re hoping that it will do is for people that love music, that genre or any genre, people who are brought in by this human story,” — Sam Grundwerg, world chairman of Keren Hayesod–UIA (United Israel Appeal)
- “They’re also hearing these stories about real people and about real horrific things that they went through on October 7.” — David Fishof, Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s founder and director
- “But when I made this film... for the first time in my entire career, I really felt it,” — David Fishof, Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s founder and director
Future Plans
Fishof and Grundwerg plan to expand the program in Israel, inviting rock stars to mentor local artists and to produce original songs that reflect the participants’ experiences. The initiative seeks to “change people’s lives through music” while fostering cross-cultural understanding.
