A memorial event to honor the victims of the Nova music festival at Re’im was held by its production company in Sdot Yam near Caesarea.
"The festival was meant to be a celebration of love and freedom, but it ended in a murderous terrorist attack," said Omri Sassi and Nimrod Arnin.
They shared their shock, fear, and horror, recalling the agonizing experience of waiting for help that never arrived and their efforts to rescue hundreds of participants.
"We still feel like we are living those moments," they said.
Tragically, both organizers also suffered personal losses at the event.
Arnin lost his sister, Ayelet, and Sassi lost four relatives.
"Ayelet, my little sister, had great aspirations for her media career, but she won't have the chance to fulfill them," Arnin said.
Sassi’s uncle, pregnant cousin and husband were also murdered at the festival.
A moment to honor the victims
The memorial service displayed hundreds of lanterns launched into the sky.
Singers Osher Cohen and Ishay Ribo also performed at the ceremony.
"We went through something beyond our control,” Sassi and Arnon said.
“We will support and assist everyone," vowed the producers, who have been operating an aid complex for the survivors. "We love our country. We will return to dance, and that will be our victory."
Arnin and Sassi shared the story of their company, which was founded two and a half years ago with the goal of uniting young people who love to dance. Over time, it evolved into a global movement with collaborations with international productions and brands.
The Nova event was an international collaboration with Trance production from South America.
"Disaster struck, and it came at a heavy price. Our music abruptly stopped," Arnin and Sassi said.
"The Nova community suffered the largest number of casualties," they added. "This was the largest event we had organized to date, with many people traveling from abroad to attend. At sunrise, a pivotal moment of joy and depth, armed terrorists launched a missile attack and began murdering people."
Some 60 police officers, 80 security guards, and a private security team were dispatched to the festival.
Initially, they were notified of suspected terrorists infiltrating the area, and the police requested to evacuate the festival.
However, a large number of terrorists managed to bypass police checkpoints and enter the front parking lot.
"Our only option was to evacuate the crowd with the assistance of the police," Arnin and Sassi explained. “Unfortunately, those who remained in the event area were killed. Some attempted to hide, but the terrorists systematically searched every restroom and murdered them all.”
"With great personal pain, I remained there until it became impossible for me to stay," shared Sassi. "They were shooting at me. I ran and managed to get into a car."
According to Sassi, the terrorists pursued him and two friends, one of whom was killed and the other wounded.
They continued towards Reim, where they encountered numerous bodies on the road alongside burned and shot vehicles.
"We spotted an IDF tank with people gathered around it, so we drove towards it,” he recalled. “Suddenly, a terrorist emerged and fired a grenade at our car. We managed to escape and drove another kilometer until we found help. We cared for the wounded and awaited rescue. This is where we were eventually saved.”
Addressing concerns about holding a mass event in close proximity to a hostile border, the organizers emphasized that there is risk everywhere in Israel. They reiterated the security arrangements, police authorization, and the presence of a police officer who gave approval for the event.
"We held the event at this location with full authorization,” Sassi and Arnin said. “We received no warning throughout the night. We were hit hard, with dozens of vans managing to bypass roadblocks. The first police force arrived at 10:40 AM. I kept calling, and they kept telling me 'we are on our way’.”
"It is important to say that as a production company, we will not stop, we will overcome this tragedy because we have no choice and we will continue to engage in the mission of our lives, to make people happy," Nova producers concluded. “We will dance again.”