I’ve been to the site of the Nova Music Festival—where Hamas unleashed unthinkable violence—just outside Kibbutz Re’im. I’ve walked the grounds. I thought it couldn’t get harder than that. But then I walked through the Nova Exhibition at Gallery Place in Washington, DC, and heard the stream of raw video: the yelling, the screaming, the gunshots. Footage taken by people who were there—by victims, not reporters. You don’t just hear it. You feel it—in your core, in a completely different way. The exhibit doesn’t just show you what happened. It immerses you in it. It confronts you. It stays with you. Nova survivor Noa Beer shared her story and reminded me: this wasn’t just an attack on a place. It was an attack on joy. An attack on freedom. An attack on community.

Why Federation Day at the Nova Exhibition Matters

That’s why Federation Day at the Nova Exhibition on Tuesday, July 1 matters. It’s not just about viewing an art installation, walking past scorched cars, standing among bullet-riddled bathroom stalls, or staring at piles of personal belongings left behind. It’s about bearing witness—together. Come. Join your community. Bring someone who hasn’t seen it. Someone who needs to understand. That’s how we get through the hardest things: by showing up. By being in community. July 1 is for exactly this. A day to stand with the victims, lift up the survivors, and lean on each other. Because healing begins with presence. And it continues with action.

Federation’s Response: From Witnessing to Action

That’s why The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is:

• Supporting trauma recovery programs for survivors of October 7
• Strengthening local Jewish security through JShield
• Investing in both immediate relief and long-term healing in Israel

It all matters. And so does this moment—standing together, bearing witness, being there. I hope you’ll meet me there—on Tuesday, July 1.

713 7th Street NW
Open 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
Reserve your timed-entry tickets at novaexhibition.com