The Nova Exhibition aims to return the world to October 7 — and keep us there

The Nova Exhibition, a traveling installation commemorating the October 7 Nova music festival massacre, opened in London in May after touring North America and Europe. The article argues that the exhibition, which borrows heavily from Holocaust memorialization, aims to make visitors identify with Israeli festivalgoers and forget the political context, including the ongoing genocide in Gaza. It highlights the exhibition's structure, its supporters, and the criticism it has faced.

The Nova Exhibition, a traveling installation commemorating the October 7 attack on the Nova music festival, opened in London in May after touring North America and Europe. The article argues that the exhibition, which borrows heavily from Holocaust memorialization, aims to make visitors identify with Israeli festivalgoers and forget the political context, including the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The exhibition is divided into three sections: 'Before,' 'During,' and 'After,' and includes an immersive simulation of the attack, a memorial wall, and artifacts such as abandoned shoes. It is funded by the Israeli nonprofit The Tribe of Nova Foundation and prominent donors including Scooter Braun, with the Jewish National Fund UK as its charitable sponsor for the London leg. The article notes that while the exhibition has prompted protest in cities like New York and Los Angeles, in Britain it was largely treated as apolitical, with visits from politicians including Sadiq Khan and Boris Johnson. The author draws parallels to Holocaust memorialization, citing the resemblance to Yad Vashem and the display of shoes reminiscent of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The article concludes that this decontextualization is the exhibition's political function, aiming to shore up sympathy for Israel.