Almost incomprehensibly, this Monday will mark 500 days since 251 people were abducted from Israel into Gaza: Grandparents and babies. Peace-loving kibbutzniks. Young people greeting the dawn at the Nova music festival.
We’re now entering yet another Shabbat praying for the next hostage release, haunted by images of the last one, which laid bare the starvation and torture the captives are enduring at the hands of Hamas.
From those who have been released, we’ve learned that hostages have been deprived of food and water, of sunlight and air; some are completely alone, some kept in chains, subjected to relentless physical and psychological torment.
A total of 73 remain; 30 are believed to be alive.
Our community’s mandate is clear: Securing the release of every hostage must remain our highest priority. Without in any way minimizing the horrific price of negotiating with Hamas — including the release of hundreds of terrorists bent on Israel’s destruction — we must do everything in our power to bring all the hostages home as quickly as possible.
Of the hostages believed to still be alive in captivity, 11 were at Nova, among the 40 that were abducted from the site on October 7.
For most of us, Nova has become a household name. It was a dance rave billed as a celebration of “friends, love, and infinite freedom” that became the site of the deadliest attack in music festival history, where more than 360 men and women were brutally massacred.
The “Tribe of Nova,” as they’ve become known, now includes more than 3,800 survivors and 15,000 family members. Bound by a shared indescribable trauma, they find enormous comfort and strength in one another.
From the very beginning, UJA has been among the largest funders of the Nova community, investing $3.3 million in their treatment. We were a significant funder of the Nova exhibit here in New York, which used artifacts from the site, survivor testimonies, and even footage from the terrorists themselves to expose the atrocities committed that day.
Most recently, we’ve been instrumental in establishing what will be a permanent, dedicated space for the Tribe of Nova — a place for healing, remembrance, and community.
The building — to be called the UJA New York Nova House and set to open by September 2025 — will offer a wide range of therapies, alternative treatments, programming, and volunteer opportunities. It will also house a mini museum (akin to the Nova exhibit), ensuring survivors can share their stories with visitors and carry forward the legacy of those lost at the Nova festival.
One of the building’s greatest draws will be its location on the 10-acre Alin Beit Noam campus near Netanya, which will also house the leading center for cerebral palsy care in Israel. In addition to the Nova building, the campus will feature athletic facilities, pools, large outdoor spaces, and a synagogue with an accessible aron hakodesh (Torah ark). IDF veterans in need of rehabilitation will also use the campus, creating a community of communities that can support one another.
This week has reminded us just how much the agony of these 500 days has been compounded by the never-ending sense of uncertainty. We could fill volumes with what seems beyond our control.
So we focus on things we can control.
Providing for those whose lives have been completely upended by the events of October 7. Building a beautiful, love-filled home for the Tribe of Nova. Holding our community closer.
All of which offers a much-needed balm in these days of waiting and praying — and waiting and praying.
Shabbat shalom