Nova site restricted to memorial events, not celebrations, KKL-JNF says ahead of third anniversary

The site of the Nova festival will be open only for memorial ceremonies, not other events, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund clarified ahead of the October 7 massacre's third anniversary.

KKL-JNF requested that visitors respect the seriousness of the site and the events that occurred there, as well as the feelings of the victims' families.

Among the actions KKL-JNF listed as forbidden at the site were camping, setting up speaker systems, and lighting fires (including barbecues).

Celebration at Nova site akin to 'holding party at Auschwitz'

"Just as no one would dare contemplate holding a party at the Auschwitz extermination camp, it is equally unthinkable to hold any celebration at the Nova site in Re'im Forest, where 378 civilians and members of the security forces were murdered," said KKL-JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky.

"We are guided by one single objective: preserving the sanctity of the memory of those murdered," Ostrinsky added.

"This was our approach when we undertook the investment of millions to establish a memorial site for them and for all the people of Israel - at a time when the State had taken no action on the matter, even three years later. This is how KKL acted at the Nova site in Re'im Forest, and likewise in the North, the Jordan Valley, and the South - regions where we at KKL have invested billions of shekels."