When 14-year-old Hillel Kornwasser of Teaneck, New Jersey, went to Israel with his father for the bar mitzvah of a close family friend last February, he could not have anticipated the profound impact of the trip, which included meeting with survivors of the Supernova music festival and with soldiers returning from Gaza.
Kornwasser was so moved and inspired by the experience, that he spent the next 10 months making his first film, Forces of Resilience (in partnership with NCSY), which was set to premiere at Teaneck’s Congregation Rinat Israel on December 22.
The Heichal HaTorah freshman recalls that he was in synagogue on Oct. 7 when he went out for a few minutes with a friend and began to hear what was unfolding on that day in Israel. He learned of the terrorist attacks not far from where his brother was learning in yeshiva.
Despite the seriousness of the events in Israel, Kornwasser reports feeling that “the next day for us was like a regular day – with 15 or 20 guys playing basketball. We didn’t understand what was happening in Israel. We were completely oblivious.”
Even on the February trip, which was scheduled to include “inspiring and mission stuff,” Kornwasser admits that he was “living the life of a teen” and “wasn’t so connected at the time.” As the week-long trip unfolded, Kornwasser had many experiences that profoundly impacted him.
“When we took a bus down south, we saw tanks on the side of the road. We made a barbecue for soldiers who, two hours before, were in Gaza and had lost five guys in their unit. I took in everything, including the fact that the soldiers could fall down and get back up and be b’simcha [happy].”
Kornwasser visited the Supernova site, met wounded soldiers at Ichilov Hospital (he recounted the story of a soldier with “100 needles in his leg”), and heard what he describes as “stories of people who experienced the worst day and found a way to recover and get joy.” He adds, “The whole point is their resilience – even after losing family and friends.”
These intense experiences got Kornwasser thinking. “I walked out of Ichilov Hospital and started to think – ‘I need to do something to show my friends what is happening in Israel!’” When he returned home and was “back to basketball and friends,” Kornwasser continued to wonder, “How can I inspire my friends and other people?”
The making of Forces of Resilience
He started with a five-minute video which got 5,000 views online. He knew he was on to something. “This is something I can do to make a difference!”
Kornwasser decided to make a movie to “help kids understand the magnitude of what happened.” He interviewed seven guests “to highlight resilience in different ways.”
THE 31-minute film begins with Kornwasser sitting at his desk upon his return home from the week-long trip to Israel. He is writing a letter that reads, “Dear courageous soldiers and dear brothers and sisters trapped in Gaza…” He says that he is “flooded with thoughts and emotions” and notes that this is not like his past trips to Israel.
He clarifies, “My mission is to try to understand what happened to you on October 7… in the blink of an eye, it switched your reality from joy to horror. I dedicate this film to you. The true forces of resilience.”
Kornwasser explains that the goal is “for people to understand that if they [the soldiers] can fall down and find a way to be resilient and get back up, then so can we.”
The earnest and deeply spiritual Kornwasser introduces each guest, shares why they were chosen to be in the film, and offers some framing and context. For example, Kornwasser asks, “How did it happen? How did we recover from the biggest massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust?”
Guests include Shabbos Kestenbaum, the activist Harvard graduate student fighting antisemitism; Jen Airley, mother of fallen soldier Binyamin; singer Eitan Katz; Supernova festival survivors Daniel Sharabi and Amit Musaei; and Frisch School freshman Charlie Breda.
In introducing Airley, who joined him at the New Jersey movie premiere, he offers, “Her bitachon [faith] could have been broken [when her son, Binyamin, was killed in northern Gaza]. Instead, it became stronger.”
When he presents Breda, who helped raise $25,000 to provide tzitzit (ritual fringes) to Israeli soldiers “for spiritual protection,” Kornwasser says, “I want to take a minute to speak specifically to the teenage audience.”
As the film draws to a close, Kornwasser is back at his desk with his pen and pad.
“Dear courageous soldiers and brave brothers and sisters trapped in Gaza. Ten months have passed since my last letter to you. My mission to understand what makes you and our nation resilient has continued. Through meeting amazing individuals, I have learned about the force of survival, the force of positivity and bitachon, the force of song, the force of voice, and the force of pride.
“We can each find our own force and use it to make the Jewish nation strong and united. These forces come together in the most amazing way to produce a force of resilience.”
In the film’s credits, Kornwasser refers to his parents Laizer and Jessica as “the best mom and dad.”
“My parents have been absolutely amazing throughout the process – the trip, recording in Israel, late-night feedback… they have been the best!”
Both are very proud of their son’s passion and his product. His mother says, “Hillel has been extremely devoted to this project since his visit to Israel last year. He feels passionately about sharing messages of resilience that stem from October 7 with his peers and the Jewish community.
“We are very proud of his commitment and perseverance in bringing this film to fruition. We are also proud of his sensitivity in speaking to those who went through difficult experiences and his focus on letting their voices be heard.”