Helping the survivors of October 7 with music - opinion

My grandson David Lavi, a musician, seemed very subdued when I met him this week. He had just returned from Cyprus, where he had been entertaining families who had lost loved ones in the Hamas massacre on October 7.

The government has been sending groups of Israelis for a week’s respite at the luxury spa resort The Secret Forest, located near Paphos on the western side of Cyprus. David was invited to perform for the groups every night for a week.

He had arrived with parents of children who had been murdered or killed in battle on October 7. Then, after a weekend spent together, organized by the One Family organization, they left and were replaced by 70 young people aged 20-35, who had been at the Nova Music Festival.

“It was a difficult time for me,” David admitted. “I didn’t know what to say to them. Most had come because family members advised them to. I was told that one boy who was killed had loved my music since he was eight years old. I spoke with a woman who lost two children years ago – one as a pilot, one in a terrorist attack on his way home from a basketball game. I don’t know how you can relate to that kind of suffering.” The woman was there as a mentor, a representative of One Family.

Playing songs for the survivors of the Supernova music festival

David said that he didn’t know what to play and sing to them, so he generally asked for requests. Most of the requests were for Israeli songs, but also for English classics like “Imagine.” He encouraged everyone to sing along with him. A lot of the younger ones did. Many couples just hugged and cried.

On those music nights, there was a difference between the groups. The parents were very quiet, keeping to themselves, and the young survivors of the Nova festival mostly wanted to sing along and join David on piano and guitar, celebrating life.

The wonderful thing about music is that it gives us permission to speak about pain without speaking at all. It reduces stress levels. It is a powerful tool for emotional healing and providing comfort during times of distress, allowing you to connect with your deepest self and to find some peace, even within the darkest moments.

David told me that at Friday dinner there was a big table where they all sat together – the Israeli mourners and the full staff of therapists and guides.

“I will never forget the words of one man, who said: ‘I lost five family members. I choose life every morning.’ My time with these heartbroken families I will remember for the rest of my life,” he told me quietly. I had no words to answer him.

I know his memories of the time he spent on Cyprus will never leave him. Perhaps the true beauty of the music that he shares is that it connects people.

The writer is the author of 14 books. dwaysman@gmail.com