President Herzog addressing the opening ceremony of the Nova exhibition

(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson) 

The fragments of the party and the torn pieces of life lie here now as a silent testimony, in memory of all the tremendous human beauty that was lost. We don't only remember the pain, but also the breathtaking heroism that was revealed there in the midst of the field of slaughter.

President Isaac Herzog spoke this evening (Wednesday, 6 December 2023), at the opening ceremony of the "6:29" exhibition in memory of those murdered at the Nova Festival on October 7.

In his speech, the President said:

“Beloved and dear bereaved families, heroes and heroines, survivors of the festival and all the beloved "Nova community”. It feels as though since that blackest of black Sabbaths of 7 October, there is not a single person in Israel whose heart does not miss a beat when the clock shows exactly 06:29 in the morning. This hour is a fault-line in time, a gaping wound for an entire people, an abyss that separates the world that preceded it, and the days, the burning months, into which we have fallen since. Days that as much as we would wish otherwise, we have to come to terms with, to learn how to live in, and in which to rediscover the strength, to choose the good, to cling to life.

When Michal and I first toured this moving exhibit, we saw the items and held them - to think that they were with those loved ones who came to rejoice and celebrate a love for music and dance. This sacred space has become a kind of memorial hall, and we promise here: never to forget the beauty and goodness of our loved ones, those who lost their lives on October 7, on that Simchat Torah.

This exhibition draws us in. It seeks to give expression and at the same time help us grasp the immense pain of both the survivors and those who were lost. It embodies the stubborn choice to fight and continue to return to life. An exhibition that to a great extent holds within it the essence of our lives here since that terrible Shabbat, and the striving for life of a generation that suffered a terrible blow – and yet will rise from dust and ashes and march forward.

You, dear survivors, continue to live with the sights, smells, voices, with the horror and with the memories. They are branded upon your hearts, tightly gripping the consciousness, soul and memory. And together with you, all of us, the entire people of Israel, experience immense pain, infinite longing and worry, on a scale like never before: concern for our hostages still held in the hands of a cruel and satanic enemy. Concern for our wonderful, heroic soldiers, who risk their lives for Israel's security, for our sakes. And concern for the safety of our beloved, one and only, home.

The fragments of the party and the torn pieces of life lie here now as a silent testimony, in memory of all the tremendous human beauty that was lost. The massacre, and the deep and painful wound it created, are the legacy of an entire generation. A young generation, full of life, whose ground was swept away from under their feet. A generation that seeks to heal, that seeks repair and comfort. A generation that we must pay attention to, to support it, to embrace it, and walk with it step by step until it spreads its wings again and, of course, all the dear families who lost their loved ones - the parents and uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, children and more.

We don't only remember the pain, but also the breathtaking heroism that was revealed there in the midst of the field of slaughter. The heroic stories of that terrible morning offer inspiration, courage and strength, of clinging to life, to fight with all our might for our beloved home, and to make a promise that you will dance once again - all over the country. You will once again enjoy music and nature. We will yet be happy, we will once again celebrate life. We will live to stand tall, without fear, in our land.

Dear friends, the poet Amir Or, in his poem "Seven Lines to Sunrise", very beautifully articulates this oath, which we wish to say here today to the entire world: “And despite it all – life; despite it all – love. We’ll indeed see the heart’s gate open to a world of hope.
I thank the initiators of the exhibition, the initiators of the festival, and everyone who contributed to this moving and hallowed space. We are now on the eve of Channukah, our holiday of heroism, the festival of light. And today, perhaps more than ever, we know with great clarity: our war is the war of light against darkness, the war of good against evil. Therefore, we have no choice but to overcome. And thanks to the beauty, and the goodness, the courage and the spirit, and for the sake of love - there is no doubt that we will overcome. May the memory of our heroes and loved ones, those who lost their lives at the Nova Festival and this war in general, be blessed and engraved upon our hearts forever."