Thirsty Souls, Part 1: Why Are More and More Young People Searching for God?

Channel 14 reporter Eden Harel embarks on a journey following the phenomenon of religious strengthening among young Israelis after October 7. In the first episode, she speaks with Tomer Viner, a survivor of the Nova party massacre, and with Sapir Cohen and Sasha Tropanov, who returned from captivity in Gaza. They all describe how trauma and crisis led them to search for meaning and faith, sharing intimate moments of prayer, devotion, and a shift in worldview.

Channel 14 reporter Eden Harel embarks on a documentary journey following the phenomenon of religious strengthening among young Israelis, focusing on the generation after October 7. In the first episode of the series "Thirsty Souls," she speaks with three people who experienced extreme events: Tomer Viner, a survivor of the Nova party massacre, and Sapir Cohen and Sasha Tropanov, who returned from captivity in Gaza. Each describes how the personal and national crisis led them to search for faith and meaning. Tomer Viner recounts a moment when he went outside, looked at the sky, and told the Creator that he does not understand Him but continues to believe. Sapir Cohen describes how the prayer that accompanied her before October 7 became an anchor in captivity, and how she asked God for a sign regarding her relationship with Sasha. Sasha Tropanov, who came to the event from a secular background, describes how the foundations he built his life on disappeared, and how inside a wooden cage in Rafah he came to terms with his fate. The article presents these personal stories as a central component of a broader phenomenon of spiritual search among the younger generation.