Israel’s former minister of science and technology Izhar Shay lost his son in the October 7 Hamas attack. He spoke with TOI about his October Next project to seed 1,400 start-ups to commemorate every Israeli victim; that most Arab states will be relieved once Hamas is “eliminated” and the Two-State solution:
What made you conceptualise the Next October Project?
As part of my background, I have had almost 35 years of career in the Israeli-US high tech. I have been a high-tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist investor for many years. Then I had a three year shift in my career where I turned to politics where I represented the interests of the Israeli high tech in the Israeli parliament and became the minister of science and technology. That is the context for your question. As you know, Israel today is in the midst of a military crisis, and my son, who was a soldier in the Israeli army, was stationed with his unit on October 7 on the border of Gaza and Israel. On the morning of October 7 that unit was attacked by Hamas terrorists and was outnumbered. My son, along with other soldiers, heroically protected civilians at a kibbutz. But they had to pay a high price and my son was killed in action on the same day. He was my fourth and youngest son and was 21-years-old.
What made you conceptualise the Next October Project?
As part of my background, I have had almost 35 years of career in the Israeli-US high tech. I have been a high-tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist investor for many years. Then I had a three year shift in my career where I turned to politics where I represented the interests of the Israeli high tech in the Israeli parliament and became the minister of science and technology. That is the context for your question. As you know, Israel today is in the midst of a military crisis, and my son, who was a soldier in the Israeli army, was stationed with his unit on October 7 on the border of Gaza and Israel. On the morning of October 7 that unit was attacked by Hamas terrorists and was outnumbered. My son, along with other soldiers, heroically protected civilians at a kibbutz. But they had to pay a high price and my son was killed in action on the same day. He was my fourth and youngest son and was 21-years-old.