October 7 > Nova Festival > Testimony of Roi A
My and my wife’s and my story is all written here. Please share to give strength to people. Life is a gift, thank God! Miel and Mia, Mommy and Daddy love you.
We arrived at 6:00am to the Nova Festival, and because we were the last to arrive, we had to park at the far end of the parking lot. The lot was full of cars and my friend Nati took a carton of milk that he found on the side and put it on the roof of the car. Why? As a visual marker so that we would be able to find the car later. Yona signaled with her head, pointing towards a big white minibus. (Luckily, in the moment, we weren’t delayed in finding our car.) We entered the festival by the main stage. I said to Asher and Idan: “Come on guys, let’s go hear Sonic, he has two hours left in his set.”
At 6:15, my wife told me that she was going to go and put her jacket down at Idan's campsite. I said to her, “Okay, I’ll be at the Mushroom Stage.” She came back after a few minutes. It was 6:25 am. The sun was already rising and, as usual, I loved to stand behind everyone. And like everyone, I took out my phone at 6:30 and decided to take some photos when suddenly on my screen I saw two black clouds in the sky. Avishai said to me, “Roi, look, they're setting off fireworks… ohhhhhh, my God!”
"As everyone was lying on the ground, I yelled over to my wife without hesitation. 'Honey, keep up with me, we’re running to the car'"
And so it all started, hundreds of rockets and [Iron Dome] interceptions in the air. Around 6:40, as everyone was lying on the ground, I yelled over to my wife without hesitation. “Honey, keep up with me, we’re running to the car.” People were on the ground screaming, not knowing what to do. And all I could see in front of me was our two little girls. I simply saw a path through and in that moment there was no right and no left. Towards the exit, I saw Idan lying on the ground and I said to him “Get up, get up, come with us to the car.” He said to me “Roi, I lost my car keys!” (Everything is destiny.)
We got into the car, and in order to avoid the festival traffic, we decided to drive directly to the exit. We called Nati and Asher to tell them to run to the exit. (What would have happened if we had waited for them and got stuck in the traffic jam? Looking back, everyone who was there at the beginning was shot.) We exited to the road, and the police told us to turn right instead of left, which was the direction we needed. Why? Only God knows…
After five minutes of driving, Waze told us to do a U-turn. (With luck and help from above, we didn’t.) Just as Yona finished saying the Traveler’s Prayer, about 20 meters ahead on the right, we saw two pickup trucks full of terrorists in uniform with weapons, racing towards us and firing at us rapidly.
Netanel yelled at me “Roiiiiiiii, driiiiiiive! The terrorists are shoooooting uuuuuussssss!” We were facing them, I could see them shooting, and I yelled “Shemaaaa Yisraellllll” and we all ducked our heads. I just kept driving without seeing where I was going, after we received a few rounds of bullets that miraculously missed us!!! (What would have happened if we had stayed lying on the ground a bit longer, or taken a few more minutes to find the car? Or if we had waited for Asher and Netanel at the parking lot instead of at the exit? God caused us to act so that the terrorists would miss us by just a fraction of a second.)
“Unfortunately, the Israel Police operator was indifferent, and it sounded like she didn’t take us seriously.”
At 6:53, we were calling the police, shouting for them to send security forces and rescue teams. There were thousands of civilians at the festival, and the terrorists were on their way towards them. They needed to be saved! Unfortunately, the Israel Police operator was indifferent, and it sounded like she didn’t take us seriously.
From the rearview mirror, I could see the terrorists driving towards the festival. My initial thought was: “How could I leave him there?!” Stress…pressure…fear…anxiety… my God! We had just called over to Idan and the rest of us rushed out of there. My brother Idan also survived with help from above, but only after four and half hours of watching slaughter, horrors, and endless running. In the most critical hours, there wasn’t anyone to save them. Only God!
This is just one of many testimonies, and every single one of them is a visible miracle from God! We were the first to run into the terrorists and the first to see them, and we were saved by providence. The video in this post was taken by me and Idan in the field, documenting the terrible nightmare we went through.
Sh'ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad! Baruch shem k'vod malchuto l'olam va-ed.
Hear, O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai is One! Blessed is God's glorious majesty forever and ever.
Nova, October 7, 2023. The date will be engraved on me forever
Roi A.