The Jewish Museum London is inviting the British public to share collectible items and written or recorded thoughts that reflect how Jewish and wider communities have responded to last year’s October 7 attack.

Entitled Documenting the Present: The Impact of October 7th on the British Jewish Community, the initiative aims to shed light on the significance of the traumatic event by preserving the memorabilia that has arisen from this year in the museum’s collections.

There are no immediate plans for a physical display, but the museum is considering a digital exhibition or the use of social media platforms to share memorabilia, they said.

Sally Angel, CEO of Jewish Museum London, said the institution was working closely with communities, individuals and organisations across the UK to document how the events of October 7 and its aftermath continue to impact British Jews.

She said: “We want to provide a lasting record of people’s experiences in 2024 for future generations. The museum’s existing collection already holds invaluable material on British Jewish life, and this new initiative will build on that foundation and will be a resource for understanding the diverse experiences and emotions felt at this time.

Rally-goers in London hold posters of hostages, thousands of which have been printed since October 7 (Photo: Gaby Wine)

“Your photos, posters, films, audio, objects, and artefacts, will help to ensure that this period in our history is preserved and remembered for future generations.”

The museum will accept a wide variety of responses to the most cataclysmic day in modern Jewish history that saw some 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage when Hamas stormed southern Israel. The public are encouraged to submit both physical and digital material, which can include images, placards, audio and film.

All offers will be considered against the museum’s collecting criteria for the purpose of future research, educational use, or potential display. As a non-partisan, independent institution not affiliated with any specific strand of Judaism, all responses from the diverse array of Jewish voices will be respected and considered, said museum heads.

A hand-made poster at the counter-protest outside the Phoenix Cinema in Finchley, where anti-Israel protesters were calling for a film on the Nova festival not to be shown (Photo: Gaby Wine)

The Jewish Museum was founded in 1939 in Bloomsbury, before relocating to Camden Town in 1995. It was forced to close during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since operated as a “museum without walls” as it works towards finding a new permanent home.

If you have an item you would like to consider donating to the Museum contact curation@jewishmuseum.org.uk or visit the Museum’s Collections  website page for further information