Oz Davidian, profiled in Oz’s List, became an unlikely hero when he drove back and forth to the Nova Music Festival site and saved 120 lives on October 7, 2023.

It’s been an emotionally heavy weekend of October 7 viewing as we approach the second anniversary of that horrific day—starting with press screeners for the four-part limited series Red Alert (premiering October 7 on Paramount+), followed by a screening of Oz’s List at shul. It’s a lot to take in, especially over a single weekend. The documentary, produced for Reshet 13, runs just under an hour but it is very emotional, nonetheless.

Oz Davidian is a 50-year-old farmer and lawyer. This is a man who never expected to become a hero. During the Hamas attack on the Nova Festival, he risked his life—armed with only a handgun—to carry out 15 rescues and save 120 people. A year later, he confronts the lingering trauma of that day, haunted by the memories of those he couldn’t reach. As Davidian returns to the sites where he once faced terrorists and fire, the film follows his emotional reckoning and search for peace. Blending raw dashcam footage with deeply personal interviews, it captures both the weight of survival and the enduring bond between Davidian and those he saved.

There’s a saying in Israel that there is no post-traumatic stress because the trauma never really ends. That sentiment feels especially true while watching Oz’s List. Even though Oz Davidian saved an extraordinary number of lives and was rightfully awarded the Civilian Heroism Medal by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, he remains haunted by those he couldn’t save. Among them was Ron Shemer, whose mother, Sigalit, sent Oz the location of her son’s phone. Tragically, when Oz reached the spot, he found no sign of life.

Throughout Oz’s List and it’s hourlong runtime, we meet several Nova Music Festival survivors who owe their lives to Oz. With Hamas terrorists blocking the main road and shooting at anyone in sight, the farmer-turned-rescuer had to find alternate routes, making 15 perilous trips back and forth to save as many people as he could. The odds were impossible, and yet he kept going—at times even confronting terrorists directly. Still, the nightmares linger, a reminder that his trauma didn’t end when the shooting stopped.

If you know Jews, you know we often cope with tragedy through humor—and Oz’s List reflects that spirit. During the screening at shul, several moments drew laughter. Sometimes because of line delivery; other times not. One moment stands out in particular and that is when Oz’s mother recalled their conversation on October 7 and how she urged him to keep rescuing people. Did this make her a bad mother for telling her son to drive under fire? She mentions that it’s why she’s in therapy.

Oz’s List isn’t afraid of depicting the lows. It isn’t just his meeting with Ron Shemer’s mother. There was a while where they had to take a break from filming because Oz had something of a mental health attack, if you can call it that. Living through and surviving October 7 comes with a lot of trauma and this sometimes means not wanting to talk about it. When his story reached the United States, organizations wanted to bring him to share his story. He initially turned them down, but his wife convinced him that the trip would be good for him. He took a few meetings and those turned into more.

Watching Oz’s List, you sense how therapeutic it is for Oz to reconnect with the people he saved. Not knowing what would happen, he took photos of each group in his car and wrote down their names—hence the film’s title. At a time when so many people were scared for their lives, his attitude brought about a sense of calmness that made them feel safe. Mind you, this was a day when the IDF was missing in action for several hours. It meant people like Oz Davidian had to rise up for the occasion and become an unlikely hero in the process.

Oz’s List is a powerful, deeply moving portrait of heroism—the kind that comes not from fearlessness, but from courage in spite of it.

DIRECTOR: Gidi Maron
SCREENWRITER: Yossi Eli
FEATURING: Oz Davidian

Oz’s List first premiered June 10, 2024 on Reshet 13 in Israel. Grade: 5/5

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