Nova Survivor Denied Speaking Role at Oct. 7 Memorial

Rom Braslavsky, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre and a member of its security team, claims he was denied the opportunity to speak at a memorial ceremony commemorating the October 7th attacks. Braslavsky, who was held hostage, expressed his frustration in a social media post, calling the event a "political ceremony" and stating he would not let the matter go unchallenged.

In a private exchange with Yonatan Shamriz, one of the ceremony's organizers, Braslavsky questioned why organizers were dictating who could speak and memorialize their fallen friends. "It's audacity that you're not letting me speak at the ceremony and memorialize my friends from security," Braslavsky wrote. He emphasized his desire to speak as a hostage survivor and to honor his colleagues.

Shamriz responded that no one was taking ownership of the memory of October 7th and that individuals were free to memorialize their loved ones in their own way. He explained that decisions about speakers were made by a team including professionals, bereaved families, and hostage families. Shamriz noted that with hundreds of bereaved and hostage families expected to attend, accommodating everyone's story would require a month-long ceremony.

Shamriz, whose brother Alon was killed by IDF fire, mentioned that another ceremony would be held at Kibbutz Be'eri a few hours before the one organized by the "Komm" movement. He expressed hope that Braslavsky would still attend the event, which is scheduled for Wednesday, October 7th, at 9:15 PM and will be broadcast by various media outlets.