Red Alert is the second scripted series to depict the horrific events that transpired on October 7, and it is every bit harrowing and essential as one would expect. While some names have been altered and certain scenes dramatized, the series remains largely faithful to the truth of what unfolded on the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Red Alert is a four-part limited series that recounts the true stories of ordinary people who became heroes during the deadliest massacre in Israel’s history. Nearly 1,200 concertgoers, families, and civilians near the Gaza border were killed, and 251 others were taken hostage. The series draws directly from survivors’ experiences, blending their powerful testimonies into a cinematic portrait of the terrorist assault that transformed southern Israel into a battlefield—challenging human endurance and revealing acts of courage amid the chaos.

Red Alert follows multiple storylines throughout the tragic events of October 7. One centers on Bat Sheva Yahalomi, her husband Ohad (Miki Leon), and their three children, including Eitan and Yael (Libby Israel Attia). Another follows Ayub (Hisham Auleiman), a grieving father who loses his wife that morning and hides for hours with his infant son at a nearby junction. Elsewhere, kindergarten teacher Tali Hadad (Sara Vino Elad) helps evacuate the wounded while searching for her son, Itamar (Nevo Katan). Meanwhile, counter-terrorism officer Kobi (Israel Atias) makes the harrowing trek to Nova in search of his wife, Nofar (Chen Amsalem Zaguri), a Border Police officer, and her colleague Liat (Rotem Abuhav).

Some of these stories may be familiar; others less so. But recognition doesn’t lessen the series’ harrowing impact—or its essential nature. I try to watch as many October 7 documentaries as I can—most recently The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue—because I feel it is both an obligation and a responsibility to bear witness. Whether those who most need to see Red Alert will actually watch it is another matter. Sadly, we live in a time when October 7 is denied by some in the same way the Holocaust is denied. That reality is infuriating.

Is it too soon for a series like Red Alert? (One Day in October was the first, but it has been unavailable in the US until its October 7 launch on HBO Max) I’m not sure. I binged all four episodes after receiving press screeners, but it was far from an easy watch. Lior Chefetz and his team tread carefully with depictions of violence: what we see is disturbing, but still restrained compared to the graphic horror of that day. One element I especially appreciated was the flashbacks to October 6, a reminder of the lives people were living before the world changed forever. None of us will ever know our October 6 selves again.

October 7 changed me in ways I never imagined. Even thousands of miles away from Eretz Yisrael, the events along the Gaza border reverberated across Jewish communities worldwide. We quickly saw who stood with us—and who revealed themselves as antisemitic bigots. People you once thought were friends showed they would never have your back. Antisemites coopted numerous spaces, pushing Jews out of them. It has been an incredibly isolating time for LGBTQ Jews to say the least.

Two years later, little has changed. As I write this, Hamas is stalling on the latest U.S. ceasefire proposal, making demands that they know that Israel will deny. Will they ever accept terms that require them to disarm or relinquish power in Gaza? Time will tell. But let’s be clear: they started this war, and that truth must be acknowledged. Red Alert does not wade into politics or cover the war’s aftermath—it focuses solely on the horrors of October 7.

For many in the Jewish community, it is still October 7, 2023. Just as Israel was under attack, Jews worldwide have been under attack since the first sirens sounded that morning. Antisemites celebrated almost instantly. Two years later, we are still forced to defend our very existence. This is why Red Alert matters so much. It is harrowing, necessary, and a reminder that the obligation to bear witness endures.

CREATOR/DIRECTOR/HEAD WRITER: Lior Chefetz
CO-CREATOR: Ruth Efroni
WRITERS: Kineret Peled and Idan Hubel
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Maya Fischer, Shani Ettinger Sror, Roi Kurland, Gal Greenspan, Lawrence Bender, Kevin Kelly Brown, Jordana Reuben Yechiel, Mika Rode, Avi Nir, Nati Dinnar, Russell Robinson, Mika Rodeh, Jared Kash, Cindy Cederlund, Nealy Fischer, Jacobo Azout, Samuel Azout, Meir Goldberg, Khalili Brothers
CAST: Rotem Sela, Israel Atias, Chen Amsalem Zaguri, Rotem Abuhav, Sara Vino Elad, Hisham Suleiman, Miki Leon, Libby Israel Attia, Ori Ran Giladi, Shaylee Keren Sharvit, Anat Hadid, Nevo Katan, Moran Arbiv Gans

Paramount+ released all four episodes of Red Alert on October 7. In Israel, Keshet 12 aired the first episode on October 4 with episodes two, three and four debuting on October 8, 12 and 15, respectively. Grade: 5/5

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