Yarin Ilović, 28, was a DJ at the Nova Music Festival in the early morning hours of October 7, just before Hamas launched a deadly attack on innocent Israelis.
He was the one who quite literally stopped the music when a rocket attack triggered a “red alert” from security at 6:29 a.m.
Here is footage of this unforgettable moment.
These fateful seconds are part of the introductory video for the exhibition “Nova Music Festival Exhibition: October 7th, 6:29 a.m. – The Moment the Music Stops” at 35 Wall St. It recreates an ill-fated gathering of beloved music fans. More than 360 people were killed and 44 party-goers were taken hostage.
“It’s important. They’re going to be pissed to understand what happened there,” Ilović told me.
But walking through 50,000 square feet of dark and eerie space filled with tents, blankets, chairs, burnt out cars and bullet-riddled porta-potties was more than just a stomach ache.
It hit every sense in the most visceral way, especially the tear ducts.
It was totally unpleasant.
“I hope people realize this could have been Coachella or the Governor’s Ball,” music mogul Scooter Braun told me. “Music is truly a universal language.”
Brown, whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, visited the exhibit in Tel Aviv and knew he had to bring it to the United States.
His motivation was twofold. One is to help tell the stories of the survivors who inspired him with their stories of resilience. And then anger arose.
“These kids just wanted peace…I want to give them a voice and make sure the community understands that this is not about politics,” Brown said.
“This is not about Israelis and Palestinians. This is about music,” he said, adding, “In this industry where I’ve worked for 20 years, no one has said anything about the biggest music massacre in history. I’m angry about that,” he added.
This is in line with the uproar that erupted in the community after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017, and the Las Vegas massacre that occurred just a few months later. It was a complete contrast.
Brown recalls the reaction of music figures following the Manchester attack as “Ariana’s courage.” Chris Martin, Katy Perry, Robbie Williams and Justin Bieber all appeared.
“It was absolutely terrible and not only did the whole world come together, but two weeks later they showed up in Manchester to support the response to terrorism,” he said.
“And the same ideology that the Manchester suicide bomber believed in is the same ideology that Hamas fighters believe in.”
Still, crickets from my buddies. He had to give victims and survivors a bigger megaphone and platform. He immediately arranged to bring it all to New York City, and the exhibition’s creator, director, and writer, Reut Feingold, wanted to rebuild the festival before Hamas destroyed the peace. .
These gruesome scenes, frozen in time, are in direct contrast to the large screens playing footage of bloodthirsty Hamas terrorists mobilized to maim, murder, and kidnap on the cellphones and other screens of festival attendees. It is.
It was what the terrorists recorded and what they wanted there.
The power of this exhibit is in the details.
The lid of a makeup bag containing contraceptive pills and a case of bronzer was broken.
Tables filled with salvaged items, including guitars, backgammon boards, shirts, shoes and cell phones.
“Random decisions made the difference between life and death that day,” the sign reads.
And I felt it deeply. In November I interviewed Gul Jilbao Dalal, who was there with his brother Guy. The two separated into two separate cars.
Gal ran away and his brother was kidnapped. Their fate was cruelly sealed due to the proximity of their respective cars to the exit.
In a dark corner of the exhibition, a conversation between 23-year-old Romi Gonen and her mother Meiraf is played out through a black screen.
Romi was kidnapped in Gaza and held hostage. During her call, Maylove repeatedly reminded her daughter that she was with her. And everything will be fine.
A blonde, middle-aged woman wearing a cotton dress broke down in tears in front of the screen. Her tears were contagious.
And it still functions as a lost and found property, with a table filled with personal items recovered at the scene.
“We’ve had survivors come in and actually find their belongings among the personal items laid out on the table,” Josh Kaden, a partner in the exhibit, told me.
A girl was sorting through a pile when she found a Green Bay Packers sweatshirt.
There was also hostage Moran Stella Yanai, who spent 44 days in Gaza before being released. She visited New York last week.
“There’s a video of her finding her shoes here. It’s insane,” Kaden said.
In this way, the exhibition continues to live on. Volunteer efforts are still going on today, a sign of hope that the hostages will be released and return to retrieve their belongings.
The exhibit is scheduled to run until May 25, but Brown hopes to extend it and then open it in Los Angeles and other cities. (Tickets start at $1, with an option to donate to survivors).
When you emerge, your eyes cloudy in the dark, the space takes on the energy of a yoga retreat.
There are bamboo chairs with cream-colored cushions, jute ottomans, and a giant neon sign emphasizing “WE Will Dance Again.”
As Ilović, who somehow remains an optimist, points out, this is an important transition.
“I want people who come here to see that everything here is real. You can’t fake it. You can’t deny what happened.”
But his most important message is:
“We are a tribe of light. And light always wins.”
“Nova Music Festival Exhibition: October 7th at 6:29 a.m. — The Moment the Music Stops” runs from Saturday to Thursday at 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., Fridays until 11 a.m. Until May 25, 4:40 p.m. at 35 Wall Street. Tickets are $1, with an option to donate more towards mental health treatment for survivors and bereaved families.
