Analyzing a Supernova

On October 7th, 2023, at around 7:00 AM UTC +2, Hamas militants infiltrated The Israeli Supernova Festival in Re’im. Initially meant to mark the transition between the holidays of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, it became a bloodbath in the ensuing hours, with the roughly 3500 attendees scrambling for their lives amidst gunfire and ambushes. By the time it was over, 364 Israeli civilians were dead and roughly 40 were taken into The Gaza Strip as hostages. This was a microcosm of the horrors that day, as the aftermath of October 7th left roughly 1200 Israelis dead, 3000 injured and over 250 taken as collateral. This began a war that, 8 months later, isn’t letting up.

That was the most difficult paragraph I’ve written here, easily surpassing my opening on The Omer. Unfortunately, it’ll also be my most controversial. While October 7th initially drew sympathy from many people, Jewish and non-Jewish, for others it was a day of celebration. I’ve covered this in my open letter earlier this year, but this day of mourning was a triumph for Hamas supporters. And now, people are acknowledging the events as an embarrassment that needs blotting out.

What the hell?!

The Supernova Festival, and the day at large, wasn’t simply an attack. It was a pogrom, one not seen since The Holocaust. Sure, Jews have been mass-murdered multiple times throughout history, but this was on Israeli soil. Israel was the home of “Never Again”, a country where it was okay to live Jewishly. 50 years after The Yom Kippur War, many believed a mass-scale attack was impossible. They were wrong.

I’ll spare the details of whether or not Israel was right to invade Gaza. The reason’s twofold: one, arguing semantics about the war is obnoxious and emotionally-draining. And two, I shouldn’t have to mention that when discussing October 7th. The war has become a red herring for the greater discussion of October 7th, as well as the spike of Antisemitic behaviour in the months since. Like with Muslims and Hamas, Jews shouldn’t have to answer for Gaza as a caveat to discuss our collective pain and trauma. But that’s what we’re being forced to do.

Anyway, the aftermath of Supernova has been ignored by pro-Palestinian activists. There’s a good chance many don’t even realize that’s what started the war, or, if they do, don’t care. Factoring in university encampments alone, which I have mixed feelings on, I’ve yet to hear anyone advocate for the release of the hostages, 120 of whom are still in captivity. It’s even gotten to the point that when 4 hostages were rescued recently by soldiers, people took to victim blaming. And I’m sorry, but how’s that helpful?

Arguably the biggest frustration has been attempts at memorializing Supernova. When footage was compiled into a 47-minute clip-show, people were boycotting it as “Israeli propaganda”. When Eden Golan sang “Hurricane” at Eurovision 2024, she received death threats. Even with the Supernova exhibit, there’ve been protestors downplaying the tragedy as “justified resistance”. I fail to see how this helps the Palestinian cause...

Like it or not, innocent civilians died on that day. Sure, they were from a country that many people “don’t like”, I get that. But they were civilians. And while the footage makes some uncomfortable, remember that Hamas proudly shared it. They were happy for people to witness their handiwork. What’s so bad about being informed?

I’ve heard counter-talk about how Israelis do far worse. Firstly, credible sources please. And secondly…fine! Show that too! Human suffering isn’t an exclusively-Israeli concept. But this doesn’t justify Supernova.

I know this is tough to talk about. I’ve made no secret of how I’m a childhood sexual assault survivor, and reliving this pain through Supernova isn’t what I want. But if we’re to have lasting peace, then this can’t be brushed aside. Like the good allies you claim to be, you need to shut up and stop complaining. I’m dead serious, as no Jews wanted this.

Honestly, it’s becoming difficult to call myself a “progressive ally”. I already know people who’ve given up and turned to Fox News because “they’re more honest”. I’d like to debate them, but it’s hard to when I’m not feeling the love. I’m receiving a cold shoulder instead, and that’s hurtful. Especially when I stood up for you when you were hurting.

There’s an adage that’s really started hitting home with this war: “Jews don’t count”. After what I’ve seen, the fear-mongering and Antisemitism worldwide, it’s almost impossible to debunk this. It’s even worse when attempts at showing the atrocities of Supernova are met with open hostility from those I thought were on my side. I’m also scared to identify as Jewish at work, even though one of my jobs is in a heavily-Jewish environment. How’s that fair?

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is long, messy and complicated. It’s been that way for decades, and it’ll continue to be that way for the foreseeable future. I don’t think there’s an easy solution, either. But the path to healing is acknowledging the pain of others. Remember, Israelis are people. And if they’re people, then they’re capable of vulnerability, even when it’s hard to accept that.

After all, what good does ignoring Supernova do, especially when Yahya Sinwar has threatened to repeat these atrocities again?