The Nova Music Festival Exhibition honouring the survivors and victims murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, is making its inaugural stop in Canada this April beginning with a six week installation Toronto.
The exhibit commemorates the over 360 people who were killed during a rave concert in southern Israel after Palestinian militants invaded during the earlier morning hours of October 7. The organizers bill the exhibit as “interactive, experiential, immersive and educational” taking visitors “on a full sensory journey through the timeline of the Nova Music Festival, reliving the harrowing events of that fateful day.”
One prominent survivor of the Nova Festival is Noa Argamani, an Israeli woman kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists on the back of a motorcycle from the concert. Argamani has become a prominent spokeswoman for the families of hostages since her rescue by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in June and participated at a Nova Music Festival Exhibition earlier this year in Florida.
“This exhibition is a tribute to the strength and resilience of the survivors and families who endured the worst massacre in music history – and a remembrance of the hundreds of innocent lives lost,” Jesse Brown, the lead Canadian representative of the installation, said in a statement to the National Post. “This is a chance to experience firsthand what happened on October 7th – to listen, to learn, and to make sure we never forget.”
The project was launched in Tel Aviv last year and has had showings in Los Angeles, Miami, Buenos Aires. According to the press release it has “attracted over has 300,000 visitors” including celebrities such as Jessica Alba, Usher, Will Ferrell and David Schwimmer.
“This is not a political statement. It is a reflection of what happened at a festival dedicated to love and peace. It could have happened to you, your son or daughter or friend. Come meet the survivors, meet the bereaved families, and hear about the moment music stood still,” another member of the Canadian team, Evan Zelikovitz, said.
The installation has drawn the ire of anti-Israel groups.
In June, a New York-based group Within Our Lifetime – whose leadership has made several remarks supportive of Hamas and the October 7 attacks – lit flares, waved Palestinian flags and harassed visitors at the exhibit in southern Manhattan. The incident drew the condemnation of American and Israeli political leaders including White House spokesman Andrew Bates, Senator Chuck Schumer and state attorney general Letitia James.
The name of the venue in Toronto has yet to be publicly released but the organizers have touted it will be housed in a space greater than 60,000 square feet, “making it one of the largest exhibitions in Canadian history.” The proceeds from the project are designated for mental health initiatives supporting the survivors and families of the October 7 attacks.
“The Nova community is centered around light, and now more than ever we need to continue to spread that message,” Ofir Amir, the founder and producer of the original Nova Music Festival, said in the release. “It is important, as part of our core values, that we take care of our community, help lead in the rehabilitation of the Nova survivors, and make our voices heard to the whole world.”
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