Sigal Manzuri, whose daughters Norelle and Roya have been killed within the Hamas-led assault on the Nova music pageant on Oct. 7, embraces one among their buddies. Surrounding them are images of individuals killed and brought hostage by Hamas militants, displayed on the website as DJs spin music to commemorate victims, close to Kibbutz Re’im, Tuesday.

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Sigal Manzuri, whose daughters Norelle and Roya have been killed within the Hamas-led assault on the Nova music pageant on Oct. 7, embraces one among their buddies. Surrounding them are images of individuals killed and brought hostage by Hamas militants, displayed on the website as DJs spin music to commemorate victims, close to Kibbutz Re’im, Tuesday.

Maya Levin for NPR

RE’IM, Israel — In a small clearing in a eucalyptus forest, a lone DJ on a stage blasts out pulsing digital music that punctuates the in any other case quiet panorama.

There are not any concertgoers. His crowd is a sea of poster-board faces atop poles. These are the faces of the 364 younger folks killed by Hamas-led militants final month in an assault on a rave occasion in Israel’s Negev Desert. There are additionally footage of dozens of individuals Hamas seized as hostages that very same day.

The memorial occasion passed off Tuesday on the precise spot of the Nova pageant bloodbath, to commemorate these whose lives have been lower quick and upended on Oct. 7, when Hamas killed 1,200 folks and took greater than 240 hostages, in response to Israeli authorities.

“It’s just our small way to tell the world what happened here,” says Ilana Frenkel, one of many occasion’s organizers. “The size of the horror is more than anyone can imagine. This is the beginning of explaining how horrible it was.”

Asher Swissa, AKA DJ Skazi, carried out on the commemoration occasion.

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Asher Swissa, AKA DJ Skazi, carried out on the commemoration occasion.

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Armed Israeli troopers mill about. The scores of charred vehicles that have been set afire in the course of the assault have all been hauled away, and the burnt street is being repaved. But there are nonetheless just a few mangled seashore chairs and damaged coolers mendacity within the surrounding fields and eucalyptus forest.

The memorial occasion, held a few miles from the Gaza Strip, was rapidly put collectively because the Israeli military solely gave clearance just a few days earlier. Five well-known Israeli DJs performed music all through the day, whereas footage of the Oct. 7 assault victims have been projected on screens.

Asher Swissa, whose DJ title is Skazi, opened the occasion.

“This was not only a massacre of people,” he says. “It was a massacre of music, of freedom, of something much more bigger than us.”

Swissa, a trance producer with a worldwide following, was in another country on Oct. 7. But he says it was extraordinarily vital to be right here now for the memorial.

A DJ performs music amongst a whole bunch of images exhibiting folks taken captive or killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

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A DJ performs music amongst a whole bunch of images exhibiting folks taken captive or killed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7.

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“I’d say I played many festivals in my life — including internationally. I’ve been all over the world. But I never felt what I feel here in this moment. I feel sadness,” he says. “Deep sadness.”

Swissa says Israel is understood the world over for its rave occasions and what’s referred to as psytrance, or psychedelic trance, music. The Nova rave occasion is held yearly in several venues round Israel.

Swissa hadn’t been positive how he would open the tribute, however says he knew as quickly as he bought right here.

“Im Nin’alu” is one among his most well-known mixes that he recorded with artist Mor Avrahami.

Based on a Hebrew poem written by a 17th century Yemeni rabbi, Swissa says the tune was becoming for a spot the place so many individuals have been killed.

The memorial rave lasted all through the day, giving anybody who wished the chance to return.

“This is holy ground for us, and we came back to close the circle,” says Bar Markos, 31, who managed to flee the Re’im assault together with his twin brother.

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“This is holy ground for us, and we came back to close the circle,” says Bar Markos, 31, who managed to flee the Re’im assault together with his twin brother.

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Thirty-one-year-old Bar Markos confirmed up together with his twin brother, Dor. They have been among the many ravers who escaped on Oct. 7.

“This is holy ground for us,” Bar Markos says. “We came back to close the circle.”

Markos says Hamas blocked the the street out on the day of the assault. The brothers escaped of their automobile on different filth roads, and deliberate to depart the memorial the identical means, to get some closure.

He says that is the primary time he is listened to music for the reason that assault.

The images of individuals taken captive on show to commemorate the Oct. 7 bloodbath, close to Kibbutz Re’im, Tuesday.

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The images of individuals taken captive on show to commemorate the Oct. 7 bloodbath, close to Kibbutz Re’im, Tuesday.

Maya Levin for NPR

“And this is the first time I’ve been able to cry,” he says. “The music is bringing it out.”

Joss Aviv, 24, one other of the occasion’s organizers, says to any extent further, there’ll all the time be the Israel that existed earlier than Oct. 7 and the Israel after.

Yarden Guez, 23, seems to be at images of individuals taken captive and killed by Hamas militants on the Nova music pageant in southern Israel.

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Yarden Guez, 23, seems to be at images of individuals taken captive and killed by Hamas militants on the Nova music pageant in southern Israel.

Maya Levin for NPR

“This impacts everything,” he says, “your trust, and your sense of security. This is the 9/11 of Israel. Everything is compromised. So we’re in that shock and revival stage. We’re not anywhere near drawing the conclusion or what are the next steps. But when we reach that point, we’re going to have a lot to talk about. This impacts everything.”

Twenty-three-year-old Yarden Guez is right here as a result of she misplaced many buddies on the rave live performance. She says the Oct. 7 assault has modified the best way she thinks about dwelling along with the Palestinians.

“I used to be very hopeful about what could happen,” she says. “I used to think about the future and how we could explain to them that we’re trying to fight Hamas, but not them.”

But she now believes that is inconceivable.

As for Markos, his want is that Israel’s close-knit rave neighborhood can begin dancing collectively once more.