Israelis celebrate Simchat Torah near Nova Festival site despite ban by police, KKL-JNF

A group of Israelis celebrated Simchat Torah near the Nova music festival memorial site on Saturday, defying a ban by police and KKL-JNF. The event, which included dancing and rejoicing, angered bereaved families who compared it to holding a party at Auschwitz. KKL-JNF chairman Eyal Ostrinsky condemned the celebration, stating the site must preserve the sanctity of the memory of the 378 people murdered there. A similar event in 2025 led to the ban.

A group of Israelis celebrated the Simchat Torah holiday near the Nova music festival memorial site in southern Israel on Saturday, October 3, 2026, despite a ban issued by the Israel Police and the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). The event organizers asked for their actions to be respected, noting that there are different ways families choose to mark the day their loved ones were killed in the October 7, 2023 attack. N12 News reported the event and published footage, with the cameraman commenting that they had agreed the celebration would not take place there. KKL-JNF chairman Eyal Ostrinsky condemned the gathering, comparing it to holding a party at the Auschwitz extermination camp and stating that the site must preserve the sanctity of the memory of the 378 civilians and security forces members murdered there. Bereaved family member Omri Rahum told N12: "On this day, my sister was murdered; my family members were murdered. They are dancing on their blood." He said the celebration was inappropriate and equivalent to dancing at Auschwitz, Yad Vashem, or any cemetery. A similar Simchat Torah celebration at the site in 2025 angered the families of October 7 victims, leading to the ban by KKL-JNF and police for 2026.