Families of Nova victims plant trees in Re’im to honor their loved ones

The bereaved families of the 364 Israelis who were murdered at the Nova music festival and of the 40 Israelis taken captive from there participated in an emotional tree-planting ceremony together with KKL-JNF at the Re’im Forest on Sunday.

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In the early morning of Saturday, October 7, sirens began to sound at the festival site. A few minutes later, the decision was made to close the festival, and police began evacuating the large crowd from the venue. Meanwhile, Hamas terrorists penetrated Israeli territory. The terrorists reached the festival site in vans and paragliding gear, firing at participants in the party with Kalashnikovs, RPG rockets, and throwing hand grenades. The area was destroyed and set on fire, causing extensive damage. 

Three months later, KKL-JNF is working on its recovery. The fields of Re’im, which were blackened from the murderous acts by the Hamas terrorists, will bloom once again.

 This year, in the shadow of the destruction and devastation caused in Israel’s south and the turbulence in Israel’s north,  planting trees in Israel has taken on a new meaning of rebirth and rejuvenation, faith in Israel’s future, and expressing solidarity with its people and the land.

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“On October 7, the State of Israel experienced one of its darkest days since its founding,” KKL-JNF Chairman Ifat Ovadia Lusky, who was present at the tree planting in Re’im, said. “The Re’im Rest Area, which was a vibrant place with hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, turned into a scene of a terrible massacre. The pain of the grieving families is the pain of the entire Israeli people, and we stand with them.”

 “The history of the people of Israel is not just a history of destruction, but also of resilience,” she added. “On Tu Bishvat, we convey a message of renewal and hope – we will rise from the dust and grow new lives in Re’im and throughout Israel. In every generation, we face challenges, and this time, as well, we will recover and establish new lives. All KKL-JNF employees are enlisted in this national mission, and KKL-JNF will be at the forefront of injecting new life here. Together, we will prevail.”

 Feelings of grief and hope

Nurit Shalom, whose son Ram was murdered in the Nova Festival, shared her feelings of grief and hope.

 “My beloved son Ram was murdered on October 7,” she said. “He was a cheerful child who loved life and who loved everyone. We returned from the United States two days before the festival, and he told me that he had been to a festival called Nova in the United States and that there was a similar one in Israel that he was going to attend, but he never came home.”

 “Today, I came to the planting ceremony to plant a eucalyptus seedling in his memory through KKL-JNF, which conducted a moving tribute that brought tears to my eyes,” she added. “Thank you for the amazing initiative and tribute. I am speechless.”

Click here to support KKL-JNF this Tu Bishvat ­and participate in the renewal of life in the land of Israel.

This article was written in cooperation with KKL-JNF.