Heroism & Hope
This continues to be a trying time for Jews in America and around the world. Coming together to hear stories of hope is what keeps me and many of us going so I wanted to share this story.
Everyone has heard about the Nova Music Festival. Tonight I heard a story of heroism and hope that took place at the festival. I heard a young man of 22, let’s call him Yoni, tell his story and how he saved 500 people that night.
The Nova Festival was a festival for peace, listening to music, just about 3 miles from the Gaza border with Israel. It was attended by more than three thousand revelers. It started the night of October 6 at 10 p.m. and was to continue on October 7.
Air raid sirens began at 6:30 a.m. on October 7th as Hamas began launching a barrage of more than 3,000 rockets from the Gaza strip by Hamas on Israel. At the same time, Hamas began attacking, coming towards the festival.
Those at the festival could hear the sound of alarm signals. Israelis are used to those sounds and don’t immediately flee because of rocket fire. At some point, when the air raids didn’t stop, Yoni and his best friend decided they better get in the car and head out. They drove off road and through some fields.
They came across other cars driving crazily in their direction. Yoni stopped a car to see why they were coming back towards the festival. The guy in the car told him that they were escaping a slaughter and he looked dazed. He sped away in the direction Yoni had just come. Yoni decided they should get out of their car and run. He and his best friend started up a dusty road. The sun started to beat down on them. It was quickly becoming a very hot, dry Middle Eastern day.
They happened upon more and more young people fleeing the festival. They were at the front of the procession. They decided they needed to take charge since Yoni had been a commander in the army. He and his best friend walked up and down the rows of people to the end, to see how everyone was doing, what they needed, did they have water, were they injured?
They had seen dead bodies, people injured, seen all the things we have all heard about. They organized everyone and led them more than 10 miles to a town where they were given shelter, water and food. When they got to the town, instead of just sitting there, they organized drivers to go back and get the people who had stopped walking, who couldn’t go on. Together they saved 500 young people who had been at an all-night party, a festival for peace.
I had been afraid to go to the talk to hear someone who survived the festival. I thought I would hear a sad story about how bad things were on October 7th. And we know how bad they were now. But I didn’t hear that story. What I heard was a story about a hero, who thought about his fellow men and women, who went above and beyond to save others.
That is a story about hope and the future. We all need to be there for each other to get through these dark times.
Am Yisrael Chai
