Aish’s new Tisha B’Av documentary follows survivors, bereaved families and witnesses from antisemitic attacks in Australia, England and Israel, focusing on trauma, resilience and the effort to keep celebrating Related TopicsA new documentary premiering on Tisha B’Av examines a series of antisemitic attacks and missile strikes that, according to the Aish organization, targeted or affected Jewish communities during major holidays.The film, “While We Were Celebrating,” is set to premiere July 22, coinciding with the Jewish day of mourning. It is the third annual Tisha B’Av documentary produced by Aish and was directed and produced by Jamie Geller, the organization’s global spokesperson, together with Aish Studios.Scenes from the new Aish Tisha B'Av documentary 'While We Were Celebrating' (Photo: Courtesy of Aish)The documentary looks at attacks across three continents and focuses on survivors, relatives of victims and eyewitnesses coping with trauma while trying to preserve a sense of resilience and hope, according to Aish.The film centers on several incidents from 2025, including an assault on Jewish beachgoers at Bondi Beach in Australia, a deadly attack targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, England, and Iranian missile strikes that killed an entire family in Haifa. Aish described 2025 as the deadliest year for diaspora Jewry since 1994.“I sat across from people who were lighting candles, singing songs and building memories when their worlds were torn apart,” Geller said. “What I found, over and over again, were people who refused to give in to the fear and trauma. They were broken, but each one was the picture of resilience, a hero of the Jewish people who all had the same unflinching, unapologetic message of holding the happiness and the hope, the pain and the joy, and wanted to use this platform to tell the Jewish world — we will celebrate again! This is a story that I had to tell.”Rabbi Daniel Rowe, president of AishU, appears throughout the film to provide religious and communal context.“While We Were Celebrating” follows Aish’s previous Tisha B’Av films, “October 7th: Voices of Pain, Hope and Heroism” and “After October,” which focused on the Hamas-led October 7 massacre and its continuing impact on Israeli and Jewish families. Both films were distributed free of charge and screened by synagogues, schools and community centers around the world.Aish said the new film is intended to broaden the conversation about antisemitic violence beyond Israel, focusing on Jewish communities facing threats in the diaspora as well as in Israel.The documentary will be available free of charge beginning the evening of July 22. Communities, synagogues and educational institutions can register for group screenings through its website, according to Aish.Comments