NEW YORK (1O1O WINS) -- An exhibition that painstakingly recreates the deadly horror of the Oct. 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists and their accomplices at the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel is headed to New York City next month following a 10-week run in Tel Aviv, organizers announced Wednesday.
Nova
"06:29: The Moment Music Stood Still" is organized by Nova Music Festival producers, in conjunction with the approval of festival participants. 6:29 is a reference to the time when Hamas began its attack. Music executive Scooter Braun is one of the individuals helping bring the exhibition stateside.
From the festival alone, 364 attendees were murdered, and 44 were kidnapped to Gaza. In total on Oct. 7, more than 1,200 were killed in Israel, and more than 250 kidnapped.
Shoes recovered from victims are seen at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
"Many grieving parents have reached out, seeking solace and a safe space to find comfort," Omri Sassi, one of the Nova Festival producers, told The Jerusalem Post in December, when the exhibition opened at the Tel Aviv Expo. "Our goal is to allow people to experience what we went through and, above all, to remember our fallen friends and brothers."
The installation -- which is slated to open in NYC in late April, but the venue will be announced at a later date, according to organizers -- includes a "Corner of Loss and Reality," featuring shoes, shirts, bags, books and other personal artifacts from festival-goers.
"Lost and found" tables display personal items collected from the Nova festival site at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Reut Feingold, the exhibition's director, told The Jerusalem Post, "The commemoration corner offers the audience a chance to meet the faces and names of the hundreds of souls taken prematurely. This exhibition tells not only a tragic tale but portrays a community that embodies hope, resilience, and unity in the face of darkness. We invite the audience to witness the vision of light emerging from an abyss of despair and to join us in praying for the safe return of our missing loved ones."
People look at destroyed cars at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout, and features original items from the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Aside from the corner of personal items, the installation also includes charred vehicles, bullet-ridden bathroom stalls (where some festival-goers attempted to hide from Hamas gunmen), and the bar from the festival.
There's also the sound equipment used by the festival's sound engineer, Matan Lior, who was killed during the terror attack.
People look at destroyed cars at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout, and features original items from the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
A destroyed bar area is seen at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
People look at "lost and found" tables with personal items collected from the Nova festival site at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Aside from the festival's recreation and the presence of victims' artifacts, there are video clips and other artistic elements to convey the horrific morning.
People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout, and features destroyed items from the Nova festival site on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
At a preview of the exhibition in December for relatives of the Nova festival-goers, Amit Zender, whose 23-year-old daughter Noa was killed, told AFP, "I've come to see what this festival looked like, where my daughter died."
People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
Also at the family preview, Israeli president Isaac Herzog said the exhibition is a "sacred space," and told families "never to forget the beauty and goodness of our loved ones."
People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
People look at "lost and found" tables with personal items collected from the Nova festival site at the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
People visit the '06:29' Memorial and Commemoration Exhibition, which recreates the layout of the Nova festival site, on December 12, 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israel.Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
A key theme of the installation is "We Will Dance Again," and despite the immense loss, Nova's Sassi said Hamas didn't destroy Israelis' strength and endurance: "We will gather 3,000 people to dance again, because we are a community, a tribe that continues to exist."
