The Tribe of Nova Foundation has been supporting survivors, families, and leading the healing journey for the thousands of Israelis affected by the terror attacks at the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023. The group includes several survivors from the ill-fated music festival who travel the world, telling their stories and making sure that this notorious attack on the Jewish people is documented, remembered, and never distorted by anti-Semitism. The Nova Music Festival Exhibition travels to cities all over the world with items and belongings left at the grounds of the festival and speakers who survived that horrific day. This month, the Tribe of Nova Foundation set up its exhibit in Chicago.
“Suddenly, a few officers stopped by. We’re religious people; we don’t carry cell phones. We don’t see the news. And, they tell us that war has broken out,” said Elad Glazer, “I went home, and my older brother called me and said, ‘Do you know anything about Ranani?’ He’s my younger brother. And, I said, no. He said to go check his Instagram stories. When I opened it up, the first message I saw was ‘God is great, here we are.’ Then, I started digging through his stories, and the last story he says, at least we are here in the bomb shelter, and everything is good.’”
Visitors to the exhibit enter through the first room, decorated with official Nova Music Festival signage and promotional material. Here, we learn the cultural significance of Nova in Israel. It wasn’t just a music festival; it was THE music festival for people all around Israel to disconnect from the politics and noise of the world and celebrate the gift of life together through music and dance. Some attendees say that while they dance, they feel as if they are in another place altogether. This is what Nova 2023 should’ve been.
The exhibition’s lighting purposely dims when visitors enter the main room. Tattered belongings like lawn chairs, shoes, hats, snacks, toys, and games are organized just as they were left on the festival grounds. The actual portable toilet booths riddled with bullet holes are also displayed. Among the torn-up tents and bombed car shells are display screens showing footage shot by Nova attendees making their escape from Hamas terrorists. Some of the items in the museum also appear in the videos taken as the terrorists ravaged the festival grounds and surrounding towns.
“In a matter of minutes, the bunker got full of people – like 50 people were inside. They start hearing police officers shouting, asking for backup, and screaming in Arabic. They started throwing hand grenades, stun grenades, you name it. And, they were pulling bodies out. My brother got a bit claustrophobic. He gave his girlfriend headphones, so she wouldn’t hear the screaming.” Elad said.
Elad Glazer was observing Simchat Torah with his family when he got word of the attacks. Shortly after, he learned that his younger brother, Ranani, was at the Nova festival. Ranani would later be found dead in the bomb shelter from which his last video was taken.
Meanwhile, Tal Ebaz had come over to Israel from Miami to observe the High Holy Days. He was just about to leave but scheduled a later flight so he could join his friends at the Nova Music Festival. Once they saw missiles in the sky, they rushed to leave the grounds. One of his friends stopped to use the bathroom beforehand. During that time, Tal got a call that another one of his friends had been shot in the chest by terrorists, and other attendees were being fired upon.
“We saw another friend with an empty car. We jumped on his car and went to the off-road again down from the main road, and to another place where cars were stopped. I decided that we would have to jump from the car. I told them, ‘Listen, we cannot stay in the car.’ I just jumped from the car, and I saw a lot of people – when I got closer to them, I realized that they had been shot.”
Tal continued on foot until he reached a nearby kibbutz and the hospital in Beersheba. There were thousands of people there already, looking as though they had just been taken out of a war zone. The next day, Tal got a phone call from the IDF saying that he had been drafted. He closed his two businesses in Florida and stayed in Israel.
Elad and Tal are at the end of the exhibition, in the healing room. After passing through the dark hall with images of the victims killed in the terror attacks, the light begins to shine again. When visitors enter the healing room to listen to the survivors talk about their experiences, there is hope, symbolized by the change in lighting.
“I need to do this for Ranani,” said Elad. “He dreamed of being a DJ and rocking stages, and being famous. He was an amazing person, all smiles, and would talk to anyone, regardless of your skin color, what they identify as, and their political views. What I’ve learned from it, the message that I can leave you, is that life can change in a moment. Life is short – love more, forgive more, and take care of the people you love.”
“For me, I try to take it in a positive way, and to learn from this situation. I know that I am still dealing with PTSD, but when you talk about your trauma, it’s released from your body. When you share a story, you understand that you are not alone. There are people who support you and are in the same situation as you,” said Tal.
Today, the Tribes of Nova Foundation helps over 2,000 Israeli families and Nova survivors on their healing journey with a community-based approach with memorial events, emergency micro-grants, and rights and benefits access —so that one day, the people of Israel will be able to dance again.
