Survivors of the October 7, 2023, Nova Music Festival massacre were serenaded by pop star Sia and Israel’s 2024 Eurovision Song Contest representative Eden Golan at the Concert Against Hate in Washington DC on Monday night organized by the Anti-Defamation League.
Hosted by actor Ben Stiller, the event took place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts before 2,400 attendees. Sia dedicated her song “Titanium” to present survivors Ofir Amir, Danielle Gelbaum, Tomer Meir, and Daniel Dvir.
“We will dance again,” exclaimed the singer, as the four came to her side after the performance, the Hollywood Reporter wrote.
“Her music gave me the opportunity to know that I will dance again, and I am dancing again, and tonight we will dance again,” said Gelbaum from the stage.
Golan sang her original version of “October Rain,” which was performed in a revised version at Eurovision last year after the original lyrics were flagged for containing political references. Golan finished the competition in fifth place.
Music mogul Scooter Braun, who has overseen the careers of Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, among others, was honored by the ADL for his efforts in bringing the Nova Music Festival Exhibition to US audiences.
“These Nova survivors have given me the greatest gift because my whole life, I was taught never again, never again. And something shifted since October 7, something changed after I met these kids because they live by this mantra, ‘We will dance again,’” he said.
Stiller, speaking with Jewish Insider ahead of the event, called increasing antisemitism in the US and Europe frightening.
“It’s something I never thought I’d experience in my life,” Stiller said. “I grew up pretty sheltered from that in New York City. Right now, we have to be positive and work toward unifying together, reaching out to people we disagree with, and calling out hate when it happens.”
Hate never wins
Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, said, “My message is hate never wins… all it takes is good people coming together.”
Among those in attendance were Uri Levine, co-founder of Waze; Deborah Lipstadt, US special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism; Josh Kadden, CEO of the Nova Exhibition; Ari Ackerman, co-owner of the Miami Marlins; and CNN journalists Dana Bash and Wolf Blitzer.
Several members of The Hostages and Missing Families Forum were in the crowd, Jewish Insider reported.