A Hero’s Burden: Director Sepi Makabi & Nova Festival Survivor Daniel Sharabi on PTSD, Faith, Healing

Summary

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We're Out of Time

Episode: "A Hero’s Burden: Director Sepi Makabi & Nova Festival Survivor Daniel Sharabi on PTSD, Faith, Healing"

Host: Richard Taite
Guests: Director Sepi Maccabee, Daniel Sharabi (Nova Festival Survivor)
Date: October 13, 2025

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Overview

This emotionally charged episode explores the profound trauma, faith, and healing journey of two brothers, Daniel and Neria Sharabi, survivors of the October 7, 2023 Nova Music Festival attack in Israel. Through the lens of Sepi Maccabee's powerful documentary A Hero's Burden, host Richard Taite, Sepi, and Daniel delve into the raw realities of PTSD, survivor’s guilt, the insufficiency of institutional support, the power of faith, and the impact of community in the process of healing. The show’s timing coincides with breaking news of a peace deal and the imminent release of Israeli hostages, including Daniel's best friend Yosef—rendering the conversations particularly poignant and urgent.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Film, Its Genesis, and the Survivors’ Pain

• Opening Context (01:01–03:07):
  Richard frames the conversation around Sepi’s documentary, emphasizing its impact in illuminating the “invisible” trauma of survivors:

  "It was the single best documentary I've ever seen in my life ... No one saw the trauma. The work just begins when they get home." — Richard Taite [02:03]

• Meeting Daniel and Neria (03:07–04:10):
  Sepi describes the palpable pain and shining presence she witnessed when first meeting Daniel at a gala—inspiring her involvement and eventual close relationship with the brothers.

  "There was light coming out from him ... I just felt his pain." — Sepi Maccabee [03:07]

• Immediate Need for Help (03:07–04:10):
  Sepi recounts that her psychiatrist sister immediately recognized the boys’ acute need for psychological help.

The Trauma of Survival and Survivor’s Guilt

• Direct Exposure and Aftermath (06:15–07:02):
  The brothers’ trauma is exacerbated by having witnessed the atrocities firsthand, without the protection of shelter—coupled with extended combat and having to kill attackers.

  "They saw these things live in front of them ... fighting back for eight hours." — Sepi Maccabee [06:15]

• Survivor’s Guilt and Complex Emotions (07:05–08:05):
  The guilt of survival and of not having saved more is persistent:

  "He's upset that he didn't kill them all ... that could have saved Yosef." — Richard Taite and Sepi Maccabee [07:02–08:05]

Resourcefulness Under Fire

• The “Lip Balm” Moment (08:13–09:15):
  A dramatic story: when a gun jams with sand, the brothers ingeniously use lip balm to get it working, saving countless lives:

  "Let’s use the tiniest bit of lip balm ... that thinking saved ... hundreds of people." — Sepi Maccabee [08:27]

PTSD, Substance Use, and Systemic Failures

• Mental Health Crisis and Substance Use (10:21–11:42):
  After the attack, survivors received little to no government support—leading to rampant self-medication:

  "They were smoking pounds of weed ... The substance use was alarming." — Sepi Maccabee [10:21–11:32]

• Building Trust (11:56–12:55):
  Sepi explains her approach: entering the project only to help, not to exploit, willing to destroy footage at the brothers’ request.

  "I went into it to help them. ... I knew I would have to burn the tapes." — Sepi Maccabee [12:03–12:20]

• Secondhand Trauma (25:31–26:36):
  Sepi discusses her own emotional toll and the necessity of processing vicarious trauma in the course of making the documentary.

Navigating Recovery: Individual Journeys

• Neria’s Ongoing Struggle (20:49–24:15):
  While Daniel has made progress—starting school and launching a nonprofit—Neria remains mired in PTSD, resistant to therapy and isolated. Eventually, an alternative healing retreat in Thailand offers a spark of renewed hope.

  "He was invited to go to a retreat in Thailand with a healer ... He said, 'Yes, I’m starting to feel hope again.'" — Sepi Maccabee [24:06]

• Treatment Imperatives (24:39–25:21):
  Richard emphasizes the necessity of "top notch" treatment for trauma survivors, cautioning that without it, healing cannot truly begin. He offers Daniel, Neria, and Yosef complimentary stays at his renowned wellness facility.

The Power of Faith and Community

• Anchoring in Faith and Family (29:49–32:30):
  Daniel explains his steadfast belief that Yosef was still alive, rooted in spiritual conviction and repeated “miracles” of survival:

  “So I know God because I saw him in my own eyes. ... He was protecting me for 12 hours. ... I'm still talking to you.” — Daniel Shrabi [29:56]

• Community Support (18:12–20:49):
  Daniel’s and Neria’s recovery is bolstered by community, by their mother, and even by connections forged with families of other victims.

Survivor Testimony: Daniel’s Perspective

• On Yosef and Survivor’s Mission (31:38–34:32):
  Daniel paints Yosef as a spiritual mentor and moral compass, and recounts how moments of proof of life from Yosef have strengthened the entire survivor community.

• Survivor Guilt and Responsibility (46:00–48:05):
  Daniel anticipates his reunion with Yosef, overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow about not having been able to prevent his capture:

  "I don't know what to say ... Sorry for I wasn't with you over there or that we all back home two years ago, not now." — Daniel Shrabi [46:00]

Moments of Bravery

• Neria’s Heroism (48:05–50:41):
  Daniel describes in vivid detail his brother’s acts of bravery under fire, repeatedly risking death to save others and improvise under impossible circumstances.

  “My brother ... what my brother did, I don't know if they will do it ... He did it not one, not two or three, ten times this day.” — Daniel Shrabi [48:05–50:41]

• Faith Amidst Chaos (51:14–51:24):
  Daniel credits divine intervention for numerous life-saving moments.

Societal and National Reflections

• The Two Wars (56:22–58:10):
  Richard and Sepi highlight the “second war” faced by survivors—the internal battle with PTSD and its aftermath in returning to civilian life.

• Call to Action on Mental Health (56:54–59:26):
  The episode closes on the assertion that the conversation about trauma and PTSD needs to move to the forefront—galvanizing listeners to take action and advocate for support.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Power of the Film:

  "You did that. This shines a light on what it really is. And there really are two wars, because you got the war there, and then you got the war when you come home, and it doesn't stop."
  — Richard Taite [56:22]

• On Survivor’s Guilt:

  “He's upset that he didn’t kill them all ... that could have saved Yosef.”
  — Richard Taite [07:05]

• On the Importance of Community:

  “If you have faith and if you are mentally strong and if you have a community around you, then you could do whatever you want. You could accomplish anything.”
  — Sepi Maccabee [17:56]

• On Trauma’s Lingering Impact:

  “They're always going to hold on to it. But what happens is it can minimize and it gets better and better and better ... and that way you’re not stuck and frozen and a failure to launch. None of this happens after treatment.”
  — Richard Taite [17:11]

• On the Necessity of Top-Notch Care:

  “The only way it's gonna get better is if he gets top notch care. ... All of the kids who were at the Nova music festival need to. This is a must.”
  — Richard Taite [05:42]

• On Faith as a Source of Survival:

  "I know God because I saw him in my own eyes ... He was protecting me for 12 hours and block bullets, thousand of bullets for me and RPG missiles ... and I'm still talking to you."
  — Daniel Shrabi [29:56]

• On Taking Action After Tragedy:

  “We have one situation in life that if we don't stand up, the history will judge us ... I didn't want to go to nova, to fight, to survive, to do that ... but if I ... can say no to some opportunity in life that God gives you and choose the best thing, the good part, and do it.”
  — Daniel Shrabi [54:00]

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Important Timestamps

• Sepi’s Introduction & Documentary Context: [01:01–03:07]
• Meeting Daniel & The Initial Impact: [03:07–04:10]
• Trauma of Nova Survivors: [06:15–07:02]
• Resourcefulness Under Fire: [08:13–09:15]
• Substance Use, Institutional Failure: [10:21–11:42]
• Building Trust for Vulnerable Documentary: [11:56–12:55]
• Neria’s Retreat and Renewal of Hope: [24:06–24:39]
• Richard Offers Treatment at Carrera: [36:33–38:37]
• Daniel’s Faith and Certainty about Yosef: [29:49–32:30]
• Neria’s Acts of Bravery: [48:05–50:41]
• The Ongoing ‘Second War’: [56:22–58:10]
• Call to Action & Closing Thoughts: [59:26–59:49]

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Closing Reflections

This episode is a powerful testament to the multifaceted burdens shouldered by survivors of violence, capturing their agony and resolve, the solace of faith, and the oft-neglected, lifelong journey of psychological recovery. It offers a rare, unfiltered window into trauma, survivor’s guilt, and the essential work of healing—not only for survivors, but for their communities and nations.

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Listen if: You want to understand PTSD in the raw; to witness accounts of resilience and community; or to learn how real change for trauma survivors must extend beyond the headlines and the battlefield.

Transcript

[Daniel Shrabi]

By the fish.

[Richard Tate]

In studio with us today is documentary filmmaker Seppi Maccabee, director of A Hero's Burden, telling the story of Daniel and Nariya Shrabi, Yemenite, Moroccan, Israeli brothers who were at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, and saved many lives. Breaking news as of this taping, a peace deal between Israel and Hamas has been reached, and the hostages are set to be returned Monday or Tuesday. Daniel's best friend Yosef, has been held hostage in Gaza for two years. We will hear from Daniel, who will join us from Israel a little later in this show.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you for having me here today. It's a historic day, and it's with divinity that we're here on this day to talk about this film and Yosef, who we've been holding space for and remembering every single day for the past two years.

[Richard Tate]

I have to tell you, last night, I watched your documentary, and it took me four hours to get through, was the single best documentary I've ever seen in my life. And it's not close to it isn't it Was breathtaking. I feel like I know these boys, okay? Like, I just love them. And that's what you did. And you brought a light to this issue that no one was talking about, that. No one saw the trauma. The work just begins when they get home, okay? They'll never be the same, ever. We can get them. We can get them better and thriving, and that's all. That's all well and good, and that's gonna happen. But the start. But. But the process needs to start immediately in getting these guys straight has to be the.

[Seppi Maccabee]

The thing that we felt. The thing that I felt when I met these boys right away was their pain. I met them a month after October 7th. They were in LA because one of their friends had bought them a ticket to get out of the noise of Israel and come here and just get away simply. And I met them at a gala that a local nonprofit put together called Mama Nonprofit. And I saw Daniel standing in the audience, and we had about 300 people at this gala. And on my. My life, there was light coming out from him. He was shining. And I went up to him and I knew he was a Nova survivor. And I said, hey, do you want to come up and share your story? And he got up on stage and he spoke. I don't think I heard a thing he said. I just felt his pain. I felt his pain. And my sister, who's a psychiatrist, was standing right next to me. She said, these boys need help right away right now. Right now. So you're absolutely spot on. And that's still the feeling. They need help right now. Even though it's been two years.

[Richard Tate]

It's been an intense few days with impending. With the impending peace agreement. How are you feeling and how does this news affect your documentary?

[Seppi Maccabee]

I am stupidly hopeful. You know, I'm just. I've never given up hope on Yousef and the hostages. I knew that they were going to come home alive. I really did. I feel so connected to Yosef and I felt that he is alive, maybe through the power of Daniel and Neria and their family and their faith. The news is such a relief because we're finally going to have a bit of de escalation here in our community, across college campuses and we can start to rebuild and we could start to heal a little bit.

[Richard Tate]

Can I tell you what got to me most is the love of Narya and Daniel for each other. It was so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. It's so touching. And you can see how much pain Narya has. It's heartbreaking.

[Seppi Maccabee]

His pain, as it's portrayed in the film has gotten a lot worse. And his pain, it's gonna get worse.

[Richard Tate]

Until it gets better. And the only way it's gonna get better is if he gets top notch care. Top notch care. Remember, there's a lot. Ask your sister. There are a lot of well meaning therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists out there. Very few can help anybody. Unfortunately. He's got to get top notch care. All of these kids do. And all of the kids who were at the Nova music festival need to. This is a must.

[Seppi Maccabee]

It's a must. And what people don't realize about the Nova survivors is they were not in shelter when these atrocities happened. So when the rape and the killing and the dismembering. I'm sorry I'm saying these things, but they saw these things live in front of them. They were not locked up in a safe room. It was happening right in front of them. So Narya, not only does he have trauma from what he sees, but he also was fighting back for eight hours. And he killed a lot of terrorists.

[Richard Tate]

And do you think he is. How do you think he feels about killing the terrorists?

[Seppi Maccabee]

There is a reason why he never said it in the film himself.

[Richard Tate]

Because. Because he can.

[Seppi Maccabee]

He can't say it because he.

[Richard Tate]

I. Lisa and I were speaking and she said he felt. Maybe he felt bad because he had to take another life because he was such a sweet soul and he had to kill so many of those people. And I looked at her and I said, honey, he's upset that he didn't kill them all.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Narya is a beautiful human being.

[Richard Tate]

That's his soul resonates through the film.

[Seppi Maccabee]

He never celebrated. He doesn't want to be a hero. So I don't know. I don't know how to answer your question. Did he. Is he. Did he feel like he should have killed more people? Terrorists who were coming to kill them?

[Richard Tate]

Not should have. Not should have. Wished he would have.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah. Because that would have saved his friends. That's correct. That could have saved Yosef.

[Richard Tate]

Yosef from being taken.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah. Yeah. There was a lot of pain. He won't talk about it. Richard.

[Richard Tate]

He's. The fact that that young boy, that young man went ahead and did what he did with the lip balm, I mean, who thinks of that?

[Seppi Maccabee]

It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. So there is a moment where the gun is jammed. They finally get into the tank, they take out a gun, it's jammed with sand and they have no oil. If they go back into the tank, the RPGs that are going over their heads is gonna kill them. And they came up with a plan right away. You know, let's use the tiniest bit of lip balm. The tiniest bit of lip balm. And. And that thinking saved not only their lives, but the lives of everyone that was around them. Hundreds of people. I think Daniel himself is blown away by it. The two of them are so proud. And that's what's so beautiful, is they're so proud of each other. And their mom is so proud of them.

[Richard Tate]

Magnificent. What first drew you to Daniel and Neria's story and how did you meet them?

[Seppi Maccabee]

Our event was on a Thursday night. By Monday morning, him and Narya were in my car and I was driving them to Dr. Orly Peters office to get therapy. Dr. Orly Peter, who's also in the film, she has an office in LA. An office in Israel.

[Richard Tate]

Right. Was she doing EKGs? What was she doing?

[Seppi Maccabee]

She started with. She started with talk and then she did a bit of neurostimulation with them. And she immediately calmed them down, not only by her by doing therapy, but letting the boys know that you have a community that cares about you and you're not alone. Yes. You were left to fend for yourselves for eight to nine hours on October 7th, and no one came to help you. And no one in the government offered them any service after October 7th. No one for like a month while they were here. No one reached out. So they felt the embrace.

[Richard Tate]

You mean here? What about in Israel?

[Seppi Maccabee]

In Israel, no one helped them?

[Richard Tate]

No.

[Seppi Maccabee]

After October 7th, it was. The government was so overwhelmed, they didn't know. They didn't know how to help. They were able to help the communities like Reim and near Oz and Kafar Aza because they were communities with governors and governments. But the people of NOVA were kind of spread all over the country. How were they gonna find them? They're still, you know, there's still a massive effort to try to give help to the survivors of nova. So that's how I met the brothers. And they asked me after their therapy appointment, they said, so what do you do? I said, I work in, you know, film and television. And. And they said, oh, can you make us a video for TikTok? I said, okay. They wanted a TikTok. We want the world to hear our story, and can you come and make us a video for TikTok? So the next day, I went to their house with my video camera to get their interview, and the trauma was palpable. They were smoking pounds of weed. There was literally like 3 pounds of weed on their table. They were just. The substance use was alarming.

[Richard Tate]

They have to.

[Seppi Maccabee]

They have, have to.

[Richard Tate]

They have to right now. Because that's them self medicating. Especially when they don't have top notch treatment.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

Once they have top notch treatment, that doesn't become an issue any longer.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

All right. How did you earn their trust to film such intimate parts of their story and trauma?

[Seppi Maccabee]

I never wanted to make a film.

[Richard Tate]

So it just came from the TikTok clip. Like, once you were there.

[Seppi Maccabee]

I earned their trust because I went into it to help them. Does that make sense?

[Richard Tate]

Stop. You went there with. With the heart of a servant where there was nothing to get, only to give.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yes.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, I understand that.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah. And. And I knew in my heart, at any given moment, whatever I did, I would have to burn the tapes. Like, if they came to me and said, we don't want to do this anymore. This is too much, I'd burn the tapes.

[Richard Tate]

Exactly right.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Anything. There were scenes that they didn't want. We shot a lot of stuff that any other filmmaker would, you know, be doing, you know, Anywho, it was really powerful stuff that spoke to their ptsd, but we burned the footage because they didn't want it in the film.

[Richard Tate]

Good for you. Good for you. That's kind.

[Seppi Maccabee]

It's for them.

[Richard Tate]

And appropriate.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you.

[Richard Tate]

Were there any moments when you or your team had to pause for your own mental health, to process what you were seeing in filming.

[Seppi Maccabee]

It took me three months to look at the footage that we first shot. Three months. I could not open my hard drive. I could not. I handed it over. I gave it to my amazing partners at Special Order. They uploaded all the footage. It took me three months. And Daniel was like, so, how's your edit coming along? I couldn't look at it. It was so painful. Than the scene where Neria broke down at the club.

[Richard Tate]

He just had to go where he just.

[Seppi Maccabee]

I knew that. I knew that nothing was ever gonna change. I knew it going into that night. I knew that something was going to happen. I didn't. And I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to be wrong. I hoped. I hoped that they would go away.

[Richard Tate]

The guilt was too much. The guilt was too much. He couldn't be there. While after the people had died and after people are still there. He couldn't be there. He. He thought he could. He knew he had to try. Okay. And he couldn't do it. That's all that was.

[Seppi Maccabee]

He said he saw the dead bodies.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah. How did you decide with all that you shot what footage to keep in the film?

[Seppi Maccabee]

Flashbacks are repetitive. What I learned from the brothers, A flashback is the same visualization of something that you've seen over and over again. And in spending time with them, I realized that there were a few moments that they really were affected by. It was the moments around losing their best friend. It was the moments about fighting and shooting every 60 seconds. And it was the moment where they had the bloodied young individuals that Daniel helped save. Those were the triggers. Those were the flashbacks. So I honed in on their truth and we focused on that imagery and the audio. We have hours and hours of audio footage of Daniel on the call with his commander, who's telling him how to fight. But the thing that stuck with us is shoot every 60 seconds. Because they had to count every 60 seconds. And it was this relationship with time that they had to play with to save their lives on that day. So we. We kept that alive. Shoot every 60 seconds. Because every 60 seconds, they knew they had earned another second, another minute of life.

[Richard Tate]

I didn't know why they did that.

[Seppi Maccabee]

The reason. The reason that I've learned from Daniel is it's a rule of war. You shoot every 60 seconds so that you're not blasting through your bullets and you're keeping your ammo, so you're stretching your ammo. And you're also letting anyone who's coming to get you no you're still there. You're still there, so don't come because we're gonna shoot. And this turned into a huge point of contention between Daniel and Narya. There was another gentleman, Daniel Bengozi, who was in the tank with them, and the police officers that were around them because the police officers were saying, what are you doing? You're wasting ammo. Stop it. Stop shooting. And I've become good friends with one of the police officers who was there. She's just a soul sister, and this is one of the issues. She's still holding on to that fight with Daniel because she didn't. She told him, stop shooting, and he didn't. You understand the level of trauma is so beyond understanding for the people who were there and experienced that. And they're holding on to it.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, always. They're always going to hold on to it. But what happens is it can minimize and it gets better and better and better and better and better. And that way you're not stuck and frozen and a failure to launch. None of this happens after treatment. It just doesn't. Okay. Doesn't mean you're not going to have difficult moments. It doesn't even mean you're not going to have a bad day. But it does mean you're going to have a life that you can be proud of. That's what it does mean.

[Seppi Maccabee]

I hope so.

[Richard Tate]

What did you learn about resilience from the boys, Daniel and Narya?

[Seppi Maccabee]

If you have faith and if you are mentally strong and if you have a community around you, then you could do whatever you want. You could accomplish anything.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah, It. The best part of their support system was their mother and their aunt. And then even when Narya goes to Nome's house to tell Noam's mother and Noam exactly how their father saved hundreds of lives, that put me on edge. That was more than I could. That was a half hour break for me.

[Seppi Maccabee]

It. That moment was so hard to watch. Being in the room with Neria and Noam and Arthur's, Arthur's wife and their other children, who you saw sitting around them and their adorable dog because Neria wanted to have. It was clear to me that this was a trauma bond. And he was so deeply connected to this young girl and he wanted her to be a part of his tribe and his life. It was God. He kept on saying, this is from God. God connected us. There is a reason why, you know, we are here together today. And I was happy to see that he had this moment of connection with Noam's family and he had found a new family. But I was also really scared for him because he. I realized that he was falling in love for Noam with Noam. And I wasn't sure how much that was going to be reciprocated because Neria was in a. In a really dark place.

[Richard Tate]

Right. Is Neria and Noab together?

[Seppi Maccabee]

They're not together anymore.

[Richard Tate]

Okay.

[Seppi Maccabee]

And it's okay because their families have become really close.

[Richard Tate]

Very good.

[Seppi Maccabee]

So Noam's mom and Daniel's mom are good friends. They see each other all the time. They're in each other's lives. And in the scene Neria says, you are my family now. And that's true. And I think it's probably better that they're not a couple. However, Neria is now in a relationship with a survivor of October 7, another young woman who survived the massacre in I believe near O, which is one of the communities that was massacred and they're living together.

[Richard Tate]

How's he doing now?

[Seppi Maccabee]

He is having a hard time with getting help. He's having a hard time with processing the trauma. Unlike Daniel. Daniel's been able to move past it and start school and go, you know, they started a non profit organization. Neria is stuck. There's days that I've called him, you know, like two or three o' clock in the afternoon, Israel time, and he's just getting out of bed.

[Richard Tate]

How old is he?

[Seppi Maccabee]

He's 23 now.

[Richard Tate]

That's typical for 23 year olds.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah, I hope, I hope you're right. I hope it's not the ptsd.

[Richard Tate]

Oh, it's definitely the ptsd. I'm just saying the sleep isn't, isn't definitive. There is determinative.

[Seppi Maccabee]

So he refused therapy for a long time, Narya. And he didn't think, and he says it in the film, he doesn't think that anyone could help this level of trauma. How could you treat this level of trauma? You've never seen anything like this before. He feels like no one can understand him except his girlfriend who was there with him and experienced October 7th. And so together they've built a really beautiful life together and they're not really letting a lot of people into their lives. So there have been periods of time where I've tried to contact Neria for like a month and I can't get in touch with him. I know he's alive. Daniel knows he's alive. And there's times where Daniel can get.

[Richard Tate]

In touch with his brother Dan. He. He won't even call Daniel back There's.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Times where Daniel has reached out to me or my husband because we've, you know, they're like our family now. And he's concerned for his brother. He's concerned he can't get out of bed. There's a lot of repetitive substance use. And finally, in or Narya finally agreed to get help in order to qualify for the government disability services and services that are. That are available to them. But that means seeing a psychiatrist. And there was a lot of medications that were prescribed, which is fine. You have to do what you got to do. But with that comes disreg. Like he was very dysregulated and he couldn't live his regular life on the medications. I think he was on Kalanapin.

[Richard Tate]

Okay, well, that's. Listen, okay, I'm not gonna play a doctor here today, but I do. But I do have a place with, you know, I don't know how many doctors I've got and probably 30. Okay. And all that is is medication adjustment. So a lot of times the first medication isn't what's necessary or doesn't work out, and you rule that out and you move on to the next medication. Okay, but benzos were an error. You don't. You don't need to submit. Prescribe him Kapin for this.

[Seppi Maccabee]

You know what helped him?

[Richard Tate]

Mushrooms.

[Seppi Maccabee]

No, what. What helped him the most was he was invited to go to a retreat in Thailand with a healer.

[Richard Tate]

Fantastic.

[Seppi Maccabee]

And he went to this retreat in Thailand with a group of survivors and Shirell Galan's dad, who was in the film. Shirell Galan is the young lady who committed suicide. And this was the first time I got a voice note from him. And he was like, I heard a spark in his voice. He was happy. And I said, I. I hear joy in your voice. He said, yes, I'm starting to feel hope again.

[Richard Tate]

But do you see? That's what we were talking about before we even went on camera. This is what top notch treatment does. He's in a protected, safe, supportive facility. Right. That all day is just about getting him. Right? That's it. That's the goal. That's what these kids need. That's what all of these kids at the Nova Music Festival need. All of them. Okay? Or they're never going to live their best lives. Okay? They're never going to thrive in the world unless they get this thing handled now. All of them. All of them.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah. Seppi, how are you doing after dealing with this for two years? I mean, you must be drained.

[Seppi Maccabee]

I've learned that there's such thing as secondhand trauma, for sure. And there was a lot of processing, and I couldn't understand why. There were days where I couldn't get out of bed, and there were days where I was super upset, and I picked up a bad habit of smoking cigarettes because these boys smoked cigarettes all the time. Don't tell my kids. It was really hard. It was a really emotional process. I never expected to go through anything like this. But as we started locking the film and getting it right and honoring the brothers wishes of getting their story out and honoring their mother's wish of showing what trauma looks like and their trauma, I started to feel lighter and lighter. And every time that we do a preview or, like, the more I release the film out, the less of the burden I feel, because I feel like the responsibility is off my shoulders. It was my responsibility to these boys to share their story.

[Richard Tate]

Well, you didn't just help them. You helped every family at that Nova festival. Okay? Every. Every single one.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

Okay. Every Jew in the world. Every Jew. I mean, look at me, Right?

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yeah.

[Richard Tate]

I mean. And every. Right. Thinking American. Okay? Everybody should see this. Everybody. It was breathtaking. Get Daniel on the phone. So, Daniel, my name is Richard Tate, and I own a place called carrera treatment wellness and spa, and it's considered to be the finest addiction and mental health facility in the country. And. Yeah. And you guys are all traumatized. And when Yosef comes home, because he's coming home this weekend or Monday or Tuesday. Correct.

[Daniel Shrabi]

We got help.

[Richard Tate]

Hashem. Now, how. How are you feeling about that? You excited?

[Daniel Shrabi]

I don't know how to say it, Orphoia, but I'm like, my mind is a little bit out from the situation. Like, I acknowledge that, and I enjoy that, and I. I cry for it. My family is all going nuts. Like, everyone speaking only about that, like, for the last 24 hours. Not 24. Maybe 15 hours, we. I woke up. My mom woke me up, three o' clock last night, and I got on a call with yosef dad, and he told me, that's it. You're not gonna sleep for this weekend. And I told them earlier, and I told him, I'm coming to you. And we went. We went to Yosef dad with the family, with a small family, and we spent some time with them till the morning. And I got back home, I slept two hours, and I started again. We have the event here.

[Richard Tate]

Can I tell you the part about the film that really got to me, the most impactful part was when somebody asked you in the Film if Yosef was still alive. And you snapped back and you said, yes, right? And for me, in that moment, I was like, he doesn't know if he's alive, but he's. And then I caught myself and I was like, uh, he is certain he's alive. What was that process for you? How could you get your head around whether he was alive or not? And why did you land on absolutely, he's still alive.

[Daniel Shrabi]

You believe in God?

[Richard Tate]

Do I believe in God? Yes, absolutely.

[Daniel Shrabi]

So I know God because I saw him in my own eyes. Probably you had a lot of experience in your life, but he was protecting me for. For 20. For not 20. For 12 hours. And block bullets. Thousand of bullets for me in RPG missiles and maybe 5, 6, 700 terrorists that surround us. And I'm. I'm still talking to you. And every 25 my friends dead and dead when they are 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 35. My best friend is a hostage for two years. We actually didn't stop talking about that. That Joseph still in the party. It's. It's. It's not funny, but it's bleak humor that you got after. After that, it's yes, if still party since October 7th. Since, you know, it's the holiday that we went to celebrate of 2023. It's two years. It's actually two years. Like two days before it was two years. And I believe that God couldn't do that, couldn't kill him. He has to be alive.

[Richard Tate]

The clip on. On March. I think it was March 3rd. Was that what it was?

[Seppi Maccabee]

March 3rd, the first one, the first sign of life? Yes, I believe it was March 3rd.

[Richard Tate]

Okay.

[Seppi Maccabee]

The first video of Yosef, sign of life.

[Richard Tate]

He looks. Yosef looks so strong in that. And after a year and a half at that point. Right. The character of him was. I can see why he's your best friend. Tell me a little bit about Yosef.

[Daniel Shrabi]

Before. I will tell you that every time that we got proof of life, big one. It was in a meeting point for me, for our group, for our community, for our nonprofit. March 3rd. It was the first video. And it was two hours before the grand opening of the. Of the center. We have community center, Brazilian center for mental health. You say that you mentioned that you have some. Something very big in America. So we have not enough big. Not big enough. But we have it in Israel.

[Richard Tate]

That.

[Daniel Shrabi]

On two hours before. Before the grand opening, everything start to mess up. Like Naftali Bennett, the. The ex prime minister supposed to come and he Canceled. And a few big donors canceled. And then I was saying, God, listen, I did my best. Now it's your turn. I'm shutting down my phone and that's it. And I'm going in. And I started to get maybe 15 phone calls and messages. And I saw a video of Joseph and I understand that he's with us, with me and supporting us. And God sent me a message, don't worry, I'm with you. And a little bit about Yosef. Yosef teach me a lot. Joseph never scream on someone. Joseph is the guy that seeing the guy on the side and go talk to them and bring him inside back. Yosef is the guy with the best values that you can, that you can learn from. From someone that is very young, but is very spiritual and very old. In his mind, he had a very, very, very interesting life. His younger brother died from cancer when he was 11, I think maybe 10, nine. And I grew up and he went through a lot of things. And we met in boarding school when he was 15. And we become a good friend. We were sleeping in the same room together. We did everything together. I was so connected because we felt each other and without talk. Yosef teach me a lot about life, a lot about how to act to people, how to be human, how to communicate, you know, he's my teacher. How to communicate with people.

[Richard Tate]

How's your brother doing?

[Daniel Shrabi]

Much better today thanks to Sepi and her group that supporting us a lot, a lot. I can tell that my life, physically, I helped to make it after Nova. But in the soul, in the mind, our group helped us a lot. And my brother got into a big regression. He went back on his trauma like the first day nine months ago. And start to go down and down and down when someone diving down. Nobody can help him if he doesn't help to himself.

[Richard Tate]

That's not true. On my life, that's not true. I swear to God.

[Daniel Shrabi]

You can be there for them, but if they don't want to get out this whole black hole, there is nothing that will work for real.

[Richard Tate]

Let me tell you what I want to do, because I saw that film last night and I feel like I know you, okay? I don't know if it's because I'm Jewish or not, okay, That I went to an orthodox yeshiva day school or not, okay? But I noticed everything. I noticed the tefillin while he was smoking cigarettes, shaking like a leaf. I noticed you walking with your tzitzis. I noticed everything. It took me four hours. I watched this thing frame by frame and I have to tell you that the only way you get from here to thriving is with top notch treatment. I don't mean a little therapy here and there. I mean top notch treatment. Now, I've got a place. What?

[Daniel Shrabi]

Explain a little bit more about.

[Richard Tate]

Okay, well, that means you go to a place. And I was hoping that the three of you would come to carrera as my gift and stay as long as you need to. Now, it's very expensive. It's $182,000 a month. I want. I want nothing from the three of you. Nothing. The only thing I want is for you guys to show up together, cracked open and ready to go. I want you to be open. I want your heart open. And I just want you to have a possibility of this can be better. We'll do the rest on my life. There's nothing to do other than stay open. If you're open, everything works out. Because then the struggle right now, it's a struggle. I don't want the struggle. Because when you're struggling, what happens is you can't thrive. You're spending all your energy just trying to get through the day, not build a life that you can be proud of. And this is one of the most horrific things that has ever happened in human history. So you can. It would be impossible for someone not to have trauma. Okay? And my fear is when yosef gets home, he's not going to go immediately into treatment. Okay. And get well immediately. Now, I know you got to do your things and you got to catch up with family and everything else, but at a certain point, a week or two in whatever that looks like, okay, the wheels are going to start falling off. Okay. You start going off the track. And I'd really. It would be an honor, truly an honor and a privilege to have the three of you to take care of you like you are my own boys.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Can I say something?

[Richard Tate]

Yeah.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Yesterday we were texting with the producers, Daniel, when we got the news that yosef is coming home. And one of our executive producers, sue, said, those hostages are going to need love and there's so much pain. And I. And I just wrote without hesitation, we are going to take care of them. I didn't know how. I didn't know how. I didn't know how, But I knew that we are going to take care of yosef ben met in truth. And I come here today and Richard says, I'm here to receive. And this is the gift of accepting and believing the doors open.

[Daniel Shrabi]

I agree with what you say. Happy. And you too. Without God, there is no way, you know, when there's something to lean on in your life, it's much easier when you are without nothing. It's why my faith, I believe that helped me a lot every day. Also today, you know, in Holemoy we're not putting filling and I was looking to something to do to be grateful, you know, because it's like. It's one of the biggest day in my life, in my new life. And I. I didn't have nothing to do and I don't have power to pray. All the prayer and all of that feeling, it's my thing and that's it. So I spoke with Joseph dad and he told me, don't do feeling. You can't do feeling. But you know what? Doom is more to die with everyone. It's a prayer of thank you, of Tehila. And we said all of us together with yourself that on the phone like 60, 70 people here in the main part of the event. And it was for me, it's not a closure yet because Joseph is. He didn't left the tunnel. I don't know the place that he's staying now in Gaza. But we know that a new capture in our life start few hours ago. The only thing that can give a little bit hope, not a little bit, a lot of hope to this country is the hostages life for dead. To bury them, to bring them back to their families. You know, you like me, I am very good friend of yourself. But maybe 60 people was here tonight, maybe 45 people of the 45 of them. Know yourself friends with them from a part or two in life. And all of them feel every day they see something, they remind themselves that is then we are here. We can heal as a people. After Nova, when Joseph is there and I will, I will do my best. This does not exist, not for me at least. And the only thing that can change it is the deal even that we not agree about part of the things and even don't want to see a Hamas terrorist that was on October 7th and was trying to kill me and got in captivity going to their homes and start to make it again and plan it again. I don't want to see it. I want him to be dead or in prison at least. But this is the price that you have to pay. And this is the best decision that we can do. This is the moment, you know, two years after we have to finish it. We're not America. We can't fight for 10 years. We have to stop it because we're losing People for two wars. Wars in the battlefield and now war behind the battlefield for our soul. We lost more than 65 soldiers that committed suicide.

[Richard Tate]

Why did you agree to do this documentary? What did you hope, what did you hope to achieve with this?

[Daniel Shrabi]

I started with no expedition, with none of understanding what I'm doing. And I slowly, slowly, part by part, I understand and I find out the meaningful and the mission that came out of that and the help that will support so many people. You know, two years after, I'm much older in my mind, in my experience, my record, what I did and what I'm doing. And I know now that I will tell you a story and you, you will understand everything. You know. There is a woman, I am not going to say her name, but she. She met us when Sepi started film us on November 23rd and she didn't like what she saw. She saw four. It was me, my brother and two other cousins. She live in Oshri. And she saw us and she didn't like us. She didn't like us because she did. We did that and we did that. We act like that. And when I'm looking back, I know that I was someone, Yeah, a boy, 23 years old, just came out of. Of hell and arrived to America, you know, the big dream. And when I arrived, we surrounded by tons of people that was take care of us and trying to protect us and all of that. And we just was a young people and we did some mistakes and she didn't understand that. Few, few weeks, month and a half ago, she was in their first private screening of the movie. And two weeks after I arrived to United States, I arrived to la. And she's a very, very good friend of someone that helped us a lot, the organization and personally and his wife, sister, she take care of us a lot over there and till now. And he came to me and you know, and he told me, listen, she keep talking to you and she feels sorry that she think about you like that. And she prayed for what she. She thought about you, about what you did. She didn't understand. And the woman came to me, we had an event and she told me, listen, it's not right. I didn't know what you had been through. I don't know what is ptsd. You have to explain to people because people don't know. We don't have the, we can't, we can't see it. We're not seeing that every day. It's not something that we see. And I understand now and I'm sorry and she helped us a lot in the last three weeks. She helped us a lot. And now we connect to a Nova survivor organization. And since she start to help with their business. Anyway, it's amazing.

[Richard Tate]

What's the first thing you're gonna say to Yosef when you guys reunite?

[Daniel Shrabi]

I always. I was thinking about it a lot in the past year and especially in the last few hours. I was seeing very good friends of mine, people that was in the party and was with Yosef and I can't think about nothing except for. I'm sorry. I. I don't know what to say. That's it. Honestly. Sorry. Sorry for introduced to you. Sorry for I. I wasn't with you over there or that we all back home two years ago, not now.

[Seppi Maccabee]

And.

[Daniel Shrabi]

That'S it.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Does Yusuf know you're alive, do you think?

[Daniel Shrabi]

I don't know. I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know what to think. I don't know what you know. I don't know what everyone knows. So many people waiting for answers. I have like a thousand messages waiting for me to answer. I didn't open my phone. I didn't answer to a message. Only to wants me will call two or three times. And maybe I'm answering because so many questions that they don't have the answer for.

[Richard Tate]

The love that you have for your little brother is beyond. I don't even have a word for it. It was so emotional. Okay. When you were holding him and you were telling him that 4,000 people, you were the one. You saved everybody. You did everything. You're brave. I love you. I mean, it was just. How do you feel about how your baby brother did that day?

[Daniel Shrabi]

You know, the Navy SEALs in America, they are the best team. You know, the SWAT in Israel, they are the best team. My brother better than two of them. What my brother did, I don't know if they will do it. But in our situation, without nothing and you know, I was. I was. I was there. I was standing 40 people under. Under the tank. Some of them, everyone switch between one each other. Boys, girls. And my brother told me I'm going inside the tank to bring. To bring more ammo because if I'm not going in, everyone gonna die. If I'm jumping in, maybe I will die. And I understand that. And my cousin 101 want to jump in too, but he don't know how to find stuff in the tank. So I told him, okay, do it, but wait your weapon. And then I speak to 40 people. You know, these 40 people lying on the floor. And I'm looking at everybody. I need someone. I need someone to stand up. I need someone to stand up and protect us from the left side switch. Naria and nobody speak. And in the situation of death, you can ask. You can't force people. And nobody stand up. One of the guys stand up for a second. Then he what I want them to do. And he say, I can't. And my brother just jump on everyone and climb to the tank. And I have record of the pilot. I'm. And I'm saying. I'm saying, God, please keep on this. Please watch him. And in the meantime, I asking the machine gun to shoot, to give him a fire, to cover. And he jumped. And 10 seconds after, tons of bullets coming out water. Maniculus. So many things that we was needing. And I know that nobody in the world will do the same. I don't know how he did it. He did it not one, not two or three, ten times this day. And he's like.

[Richard Tate]

But then when he picks up the gun, right? And it's full of sand and the. The quick thinking with bullets all around. Give me your lip balm. And then he takes the lip balm and he makes the gun so that it works again. Who does that?

[Daniel Shrabi]

God. You think. You think this is me?

[Richard Tate]

No, I knew the answer. I knew the answer. I was just asking.

[Daniel Shrabi]

This is what I'm telling you. I know. God is like. We ask and he give.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah.

[Daniel Shrabi]

And this is the only option that we give him to do is like your father and you. You are a kid and you force him to do something. Take me and he take you. You can say no. And this is how we was on October 7. Even that he was on the. Like a dead life. Dead life.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Daniel, I know today is such an important day for you. It's such an important day for your mom, for naria, for Yosef, Yosef's family. And the fact that you made time today to speak with us is so generous. I appreciate you. I appreciate all the time and openness that you've shared with me. And we went into this thing together not knowing what we were going to do. We thought we were going to make a TikTok video. But I really do think that our message and our mission of helping others and bringing awareness to PTSD is working. We are going to change the world and we are going to get people the help they need. And you, my friend, had a big hand in bringing Yosef home under the protection that his family wanted. This film didn't go out until he came home. And number two, you have found a place for him to come to and get help. The best help in the world.

[Richard Tate]

And I want. And I want the three of you to come because I know that you're doing well. I get it. Okay? But he ain't gonna want to come without you. And you'll come, and you'll get infinitely better because I know you're struggling, okay? You're doing better than most, but you're struggling, aren't you?

[Daniel Shrabi]

Every day.

[Richard Tate]

I know. Okay, so then this isn't an empty. This isn't an empty gesture, okay? My home's your home for you and your brother and yosef, okay? And I am sorry that you guys went through what you went through. But all of you are heroes. All of you. All of you. I am. I don't have the words for it other than every Jewish in the world is proud of you and your brother and welcomes is thrilled that this kid and the rest of the hostages are coming home.

[Daniel Shrabi]

Thank you. Thank you so much. I believe that each one of us needs to stand up. We have one situation in life that if we don't stand up, the history will judge us. And every Jew around the world, every good person, not only Jew, there is a day. This is the day of the history. We judge, all of us as a people, what we did, what we're doing, and what we will do with every action that will come to our door. You know, one of the things that guide me since October 7th is that something came to me. I didn't want that. I didn't want to go to nova, to fight, to survive, to do that, to do that, to travel around the world. It came to me, and I understand that I have to choose on October 7, it was to take the weapon and to fight, help other people. And the day after, this is my action, the decision that I give. You know, I fight. I fight on October 7th. Probably most probably more than anyone, it was Nova almost. And I'm proud to say because I did it from a place very pure. But if I, on the day after fighting and doing such a big mission, I think every person in the world cannot give up on something, can say no to some opportunity in life that God gives you and choose the best thing, the good part, and do it.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you, Daniel.

[Daniel Shrabi]

Thanks, buddy.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you for your wisdom.

[Richard Tate]

I really appreciate it, man. Have a great day, okay?

[Daniel Shrabi]

Thank you.

[Richard Tate]

I miss you. All right, I'll see you when you come into town. Okay. You'll stay with me all Right.

[Daniel Shrabi]

Nice to see you.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Bye, my friend.

[Richard Tate]

So we just got off the phone with Daniel, and it hit me that this is the first time that anyone. I mean, you've talked about. Yeah, they're suffering and the trauma, but this shines a light on what it really is. And there really are two wars, because you got the war there, and then you got the war when you come home, and it doesn't stop. You did that.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you. We need to acknowledge the fact that the mental health crisis that comes with war is something that we've always ignored and pretended that alcohol and a cigarette is going to fix. Always. With any war, with any soldier, with any veteran, There is an uptick in suicide rates across the globe and especially in Israel. People are jumping off buildings, people are cutting themselves. Daniel is dealing with survivor survivors who are suicidal and calling him for help. He doesn't need to be in that place. We need to embrace them, and we need to create a platform where we could help.

[Richard Tate]

Well, it's also healing. It's also healing for him to be of service, because you can't think of your own problems with. When you're being of service to somebody else. You can't. It's not possible. So it is helping him to do that. He fell into it. That's. I mean, that was God. Right? And he fell into that. He didn't fall into it. He was directed into it because he's got the ability to empathize, not just from an outsider's perspective, but he went through it with them, and he treated half the. These people.

[Seppi Maccabee]

He did, yeah. And he's at a point where he needs help, and.

[Richard Tate]

Well, we'll see if these guys will listen. You know, you can. You can lead a horse to water. Right. So if they show up, they're going to have the beginnings of their best lives to look forward to. Otherwise, this is the type of thing that gets worse untreated, not better.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Absolutely. Absolutely.

[Richard Tate]

Yeah.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Richard, thank you for paying attention to the subject matter. Thank you for acknowledging the film. Our mission is to focus on PTSD and the trauma that a lot of people in Israel are feeling and dealing with, and they're not talking about it. Everyone is kind of stuck on October 7th, and we wanted to look at what happens after October 7th, life with trauma. And this film shines a lot, shines a bright light on ptsd. And we hope that we can galvanize other people, just like we galvanized you to go out and find a way to actively do something and help victims of terror and talk about ptsd. Once the conversation starts, then we could really make some true impact.

[Richard Tate]

Listen, I don't know if you truly even can grasp what you did here, because I know how it works. You just put one foot in front of the other, and then, you know, magic happens. Right? But this is a mitzvah for the world.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you.

[Richard Tate]

All right. You did great.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for having me today.

[Richard Tate]

We are done.

[Seppi Maccabee]

Thank you.