Countless stories have come out of the Nova festival massacre that took place in Re'im on October 7, when Hamas terrorists indiscriminately murdered, maimed, and kidnapped hundreds of party-goers.
Along with accounts of the brutal events that took place on Simchat Torah, there were also tales of survival, strength, and guile that saw many escape the death and devastation.
One of those is the story of Yarin Shriki, 23, a world-champion Israeli jiu-jitsu practitioner who recently climbed the podium at the Paris Grand Prix to receive the gold medal in the under-69 kg. Gi category, his third time capturing the prize.
Shriki, who has won numerous medals and is one of Israel’s rising martial arts stars, was the first Sabra to win a gold medal at the European Championships and has also been crowned Israeli champion four times by the country’s renowned Ayelet Sports Association.
“The only thing that was lucky for me that day was my love of sports,” he said. “The sport of jiu-jitsu saved my life.”Shriki, who has dedicated his life to jiu-jitsu and has always taken great care of himself, was never one to go out to parties and festivals. However, following a complicated surgery, he had been confined to his bed for some time.
Once he recovered, his brothers, Idan and Sharon, insisted on him getting out a bit, and have some fresh air and have a bit of fun. They were finally able to convince him to head out with them to the Nova music festival, with the caveat that he would travel down to the Gaza border area in his own car so that he could leave whenever he wanted.
Shriki and his brothers had stayed in a close group with five of their friends from home during the all-night music festival when, at close to 6:30 a.m. rockets and drones began to rain down on the party.
Staying calm while under attack
With pandemonium breaking out, Shriki – who unlike many of the party-goers, was not under the influence of alcohol or other substances – immediately realized what was happening and was able to focus his group’s attention on understanding that they were under attack.
He took the lead, making sure the group didn’t begin to run amok. They stayed in one place while attempting to grasp the surrounding situation and how best to escape and handle themselves in the intense situation. Shriki’s jiu-jitsu training and discipline enabled him to save the lives of his brothers and one friend.
Tragically, most of the people who had been around them during the festival did panic and run and were met by Hamas terrorists.
Some time passed, and the area they were in became somewhat quieter and the group began to head towards their cars, but Shriki was able to determine that the terrorists were just waiting for everyone to drive right into their trap, so he decided that they should wait longer.
However, more gunfire towards the parking area forced the brothers and the rest of the group to split up. Shriki decided at that intense moment, as they were under attack from massive explosions, that it was the right time to start driving. He drove through a potato field all the way to Kibbutz Tze’elim, roughly 40 km. from the party.
Shriki remained there with one friend. His brothers had been able to jump into their car and drive back to their family home in Netanya, thanks to the calm and patience they had practiced, waiting for just the right moment to escape the carnage.
After several hours at the kibbutz, Shriki was finally able to get back home at 10 p.m., where he found that the entire family had congregated. They cried together as they recounted their escape.
As the days passed, Shriki kept wondering why he had survived when others hadn’t. He had gone to the festival in a group of eight, but only four were left alive. He repeatedly said that his only luck was sports, and that was how he was able to stay alive. Sports made him who he is and as an athlete he never allowed himself to be influenced by his surroundings. He was quickly able to understand what was happening and acted properly and under pressure.
Shriki returned to training roughly six weeks after the massacre, as he wanted to get back to competing, for the sake of his friends who were murdered and taken hostage. He did his best to show that he was all business, but no doubt psychological effects were still at play.
As he readied himself before each fight, he looked up at the sky and spoke to his best friend, Yochai, who was murdered at Nova, asking for the strength to battle to the best of his abilities.
Shriki got the gold.
Up on the podium, he dedicated the championship to his lost friends, Yochai ben Zakaria and Osher Simcha Barzilai, as Hatikva played and the Israeli flag was hoisted high.