Hamas terrorist attack survivor speaks in Folsom

FOLSOM – On October 7, 2023, Ilya Tarshansky’s life changed forever. His son was killed, his daughter kidnapped and his house burned down.

The Folsom and El Dorado Hills Jewish Community Center hosted the event Thursday and said it was important for people to experience the horror of the day firsthand.

“I still find it difficult to accept what happened to me, my family and my community,” Tarshansky said.

He will be speaking to several California communities in the coming weeks in hopes of honoring his children and all those who died on that day.

“About 100 people were killed, children, adults, the elderly, my son was killed, he was 16 years old, my daughter was taken hostage for two months,” Tarshansky said.

During his talk, he presented a short documentary film about the impact of the attack. He said life has changed forever and he is sharing his story and educating others about the reality of that day.

When asked about the ongoing demonstrations at universities across the United States, he said he visited the University of California, Los Angeles to see the protests for himself.

“I wanted to see these people myself, lose both sides,” Tarshansky hopes that there is a more constructive way to make people’s voices heard in the future. “We need to talk and discuss and maybe argue, but not fight and fight, because there are already fights and fights.”

As an precaution, additional security guards were on site at the Folsom Community Center. During the presentation and afterward, the event remained peaceful, providing the crowd with an opportunity to ask questions about the reality of events in some parts of the Middle East.

In a press release before the event, Rabbi Yossi Grossbaum of Chabad said:

“We are honored to host Ilya and are so happy that he agreed to come to Folsom in person to tell his story. With all the confusing messages, it is important for our communities to hear someone’s first-hand account. I personally experienced the horrors of October 7th.