Organizers of the Nova festival held a huge event at Hayarkon Park on Thursday evening, with the participation of tens of thousands of revelers and leading artists such as Berry Sakharof, HaYehudim, Mosh Ben-Ari,Marina Maximilian and the "Giraffes", along with some of the leading names in the trance music scene In Israel: Captain Hook, Dervish, Asterix and more.
The singer Zehava Ben took the stage together with bereaved mothers who lost their children and together they sang the Hebrew song "My Life."
Iris Ben-Lulu, whose 25-year-old son Orel Abuhatzira died at the festival while he was the manager at the bar there, sang with Zehava Ben.
She said, "Since October 7, everything burst out and I feel that there are no limits, no barriers and everything is free and I'm allowed to express myself and my pain. It's very moving that they gave us the honor of being here, I'm sure our children are proud."
'We will dance again,' says Nova founder
Nimrod Arnin, one of the Nova founders, said, "With each passing day the pain grows like a wound that refuses to heal... I stand here tonight with great emotion. The Nova is a magical place where time stands still. On that Saturday in early October, our light stood at a test. A test that in our worst nightmares we did not think we would have to go through, the ultimate darkness challenged the great light of the Nova tribe." At the end of his words, the large crowd stood for a minute of silence in memory of the murdered.
"In a moment we realized what the essence of our lives will be from now on: We will dance again!" called out Arnin to the applause of the thousands of revelers in the park. "They can hurt us, but they can never beat us. We were stronger than them, and that's how it will remain."
Released hostage Moran Stella Yanai said, "I'm here to take you with me to this moment, let's do something big with all your powerful energy. With all the love. Let's show everyone that we have a common, united goal."