The event near Kibbutz Rei’m also included Torah classes, as is customary on Hoshana Rabbah, the last day of the weeklong Sukkot holiday.

By JNS

Hundreds of people gathered at the site of the Supernova music festival massacre early Wednesday morning for prayers, on the occasion of Hoshana Rabbah, exactly 24 hours before the Hebrew-date anniversary of the attack.

The 12-hour event in the area of Kibbutz Rei’m in Israel’s south was held at the initiative of the Tikvah Forum for Families of Hostages. It also included Torah classes, as is customary on Hoshana Rabbah (“The Great Supplication”), the last day of the weeklong Sukkot holiday, which ends at nightfall on Wednesday, when the Shemini Atzeret (“Eighth [Day] of Assembly”) holiday begins, and, in Israel, Simchat Torah, begins as well.

The Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in which some 1,200 people were murdered—including more than 350 at the Supernova festival—was launched on the morning of Simchat Torah.

“In the place where the terrible massacre took place a year ago, now the sounds of Torah study and prayer are heard. We study here because this is the strongest Zionist and Jewish response,” the Tikvah Forum said.

“We miss our loved ones, and are here to pray and study for them. We light more light in a place where [Hamas] tried to darken it,” it added.

Following the conclusion of Simchat Torah in Israel on Thursday night, the forum will return to Re’im for “Hakafot Shniyot”—another round of dancing with Torah scrolls accompanied by musical performances.

On Oct. 7, relatives of the 364 people murdered by Hamas at the music festival gathered at the site to honor their loved ones on the first anniversary of the massacre according to the Gregorian calendar.

At 6:29 a.m., the exact time when Hamas launched its assault, a moment of silence was observed. The Israeli flag was lowered to half-mast and the song “The Children of Winter 2023” was played. Then, the Yizkor memorial prayer was recited, and bereaved families recited the Kaddish mourning prayer. The ceremony ended the singing of “Hatikvah,” the Israeli national anthem.

“It’s even harder a year later. I come here a lot. I was here last October 7 to look for Shani and I saved many people. I didn’t manage to save her, but it’s essential for me to be here,” Yaakov Gabay, whose daughter Shani was killed while trying to escape the terrorists at the festival, told JNS at the time.

Twenty-one festival attendees are still held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, with 17 presumed to be alive, according to official Israeli figures.