Worse than Nazis!

Reader beware- this article contains graphic descriptions.

Could it be? Could there be anyone out there worse than the Nazis? Yes- the Nukhba terrorists .
The Nazis were cruel murderers. They gassed Jews to death in the death camps, and then burned their bodies in crematoriums, in order to hide their evil deeds. They wanted to rid the world of Jews,to get rid of the “Jewish Problem”. They did not want there to be any remains of any Jews anywhere. They saw this as the only “clean way” to dispose of the Jews.

The Nukhba terrorists who attacked on October 7, 2023 were worse. They came through the Gaza border fence with hatred, jealousy and destruction, in their minds. They not only wanted to kill all Israelis ,they wanted to humiliate, torture, and decimate us as well.

At the Nova Trance Festival and along route 232, many bodies were found. These bodies had been burnt to a crisp, and left on the road, in the fields , or wherever they fell. Apparently they were shot, and then their bodies were mutilated, some while still alive. Then, the mutilated bodies were burned to a crisp and left to rot.
For some, the only way to identify the burned remains, was by their chins and their teeth.

Horrible, right?

The above was told to a group of tour guides by Haim Ottomazgen.
Haim is an IDF officer and leader of the ZAKA team that went in to the area together with the IDF forces on Oct 7. Their job, to find survivors, to gather as much of the remains as possible ,to try to identify the persons who were slaughtered and eventually inform the families.

About 75 of us met this past Sunday in the Tel Aviv Art Museum, near the area now known as “hostage square”.
We were there to gain knowledge and a better understanding of the tragedy that took place on October 7, 2023, in order to be able to convey this to future tourists!

The event was organized by persons whose loved ones were tragically killed on that terrible day.

As proclaimed by Ayala Fodor, the mother of Maya Fodor from Zichron Yaakov who was murdered  together with others while awaiting rescue in a “Migunit” in the area of  the Nova Festival,
“The story must be told, so that they will not be forgotten”.

The days focus was on the terrible events that took place at the Nova Trance Festival.

Israel has become one of the most well known countries with Trance Festivals. Festival attendees feel they are part of the “Trance Tribe”; A group experience where everyone gets to feel free, free culture, electronics, music, bonfires, nature and more . The crowd of about 3500 festival goers that day ranged from age 16-76. All good people, from all walks of life, out to just have a good time.

No one at the time expected any attack. Jenny, a 42 year old psychiatrist, told us how she and her partner managed to escape the carnage. First they tried to drive away, but terrorists had managed to block the roads. Instead they survived by hiding out in the trees for about 7 hours.

Yaakov Gabai, father of Shani Gabai from Yokneam, drove to the area to try to save his daughter. Shani and about 17 others had managed to get into an ambulance and hoped that they would be safe. She was killed, her body mutilated and then burned in the ambulance, along with 17 others. Shani was buried in a temporary grave on Day 6, but her charred remains were only found and analyzed on day 47.

Haim- the IDF officer and leader of the ZAKA units, told us the following.
They army had found written instructions given to the Nukhba terrorists as follows:
1: If you don’t have time- just kill
2:If you have the time, burn their private parts and then their chests.; if possible while they are alive.
3: Shoot to kill, then burn their bodies.
The terrorists came to decimate anyone and everyone. It did not matter who they were, where they were from, or anything else.

There are many more stories out there, some are just too graphic to tell. The hallowed ground of the Nova Festival site and other areas is filled with memories of the souls who were killed there.

It is up to us to tell the world . This is what happened. On that terrible day.
We must keep their memories alive.
By retelling these horrible stories, by bringing people to these sites, we are keeping their memories alive.
That is our mission.

At the same time, we try to look to the future.
As Haim said” When you come to this tragic place, this area of death and destruction, this must bring about a change in each and every person. Each one of us has a responsibility to come together and do better”

As Ayala Fodor said..” Make the current moment better than the last”,and think about this tragedy in every moment.

As Lena Dru, a fellow tour guide and Trance Festival fan said ”We must keep on dancing . Trance and other Festivals must continue. It’s a Mitzvah to always be happy.”

Its a challenge we have to live up to!