Moral Edge to Premiere First Documentary as Tisha B’Av Begins

As Jews around the world prepare to mark Tisha B’Av, a new documentary is telling a different kind of October 7 story that focuses not on how lives were shattered, but on how they were rebuilt.

By United with Israel Staff

As Jews around the world prepare to mark Tisha B’Av, a new documentary is inviting audiences to reflect not only on one of Israel’s darkest chapters, but on the remarkable resilience that followed.

Just Tell Me You’re Alive, the first feature-length documentary produced by Moral Edge, will premiere Wednesday evening, as Tisha B’Av begins.

Rather than retelling the horrors of the October 7 Hamas massacre, the film follows seven Israeli families whose lives were forever changed—and the extraordinary ways they chose to move forward.

The documentary tells the stories of parents who lost sons defending Israel or attending the Nova music festival, alongside families whose loved ones survived captivity and eventually returned home.

Though each family’s journey is unique, the film explores a common theme: how faith, community, and purpose can emerge even from unimaginable tragedy.

Director Zach Grashin said the goal was never to make another film centered on the attacks themselves.

“We didn’t want to make a film that’s simply, ‘Jews lost a lot of stuff on October 7.’ We’ve seen that. We know that,” Grashin said. “This movie really was about the way Jews—and I would say Israelis even more so—deal with loss, tragedy and adversity in a way that is beyond admirable.”

Registration for free viewing is available at MoralEdge.com.

The documentary features families who have transformed their grief into acts of rebuilding and hope—establishing charities, strengthening communities, supporting young couples, helping survivors, and ensuring the memories of their loved ones continue to inspire others.

“They’ve chosen to redirect those emotions and do something productive,” Grashin said. “That’s actually something we see widespread across Israel. It’s not a unique story to these seven families.”

The film’s title comes from a phrase that one mother, Jen airley, often told her adventurous son Binyamin before the war: “Just tell me you’re alive.” After October 7, those simple words took on a heartbreaking new meaning and ultimately became the documentary’s title.

Moral Edge chose to release the documentary as Tisha B’Av begins because the day commemorates not only Jewish tragedy, but also the enduring ability of the Jewish people to rebuild after catastrophe.

“You can’t stay the same after your family’s ripped apart,” Grashin said. “You have to do something.”

Reflecting on the film’s central message, he added: “If all we do is remember that something was bad, then we become the victims. But if we remember that this undeniably awful thing happened—and it brought us together—then I think the movie was a success.”

Just Tell Me You’re Alive premieres Wednesday evening as Tisha B’Av begins.

Register for free access to view the film at MoralEdge.com.