Bereaved Father Slams Dancing at Nova Site as 'Outrageous'

Hagai Loiber, a bereaved father, expressed outrage on Sunday over a decision by some bereaved families and other civilians to celebrate the Simchat Torah holiday with dancing and singing at the Nova music festival site, where dozens of young people were massacred on October 7. The decision had sparked a severe controversy, with some families stating they wished to commemorate their loved ones through celebration, while others argued it was a desecration of their relatives' memory, likening it to dancing at Yad Vashem. Loiber questioned the audacity of such an event, stating that if even one bereaved parent experiences pain from dancing and singing at the Nova site or cemeteries, the event should not proceed. He emphasized that one person's wound should not be healed by opening another's, and that grief does not operate by democratic principles. Loiber expressed bewilderment at how people could dance and sing at the Nova site, questioning their insensitivity to the pain and blood spilled there, and how they could call it a religious observance while bereaved families were mourning. He also criticized the politicization of the issue, lamenting that sensitivity had become a left-right debate or tied to elections. Loiber suggested that those who danced should seek forgiveness from the affected families, and hoped for divine forgiveness as well. He concluded by stating that he himself is a bereaved father who finds great solace in dancing and joy, even in places of destruction and downfall, but still found the Nova celebration unacceptable.