Destroyed building Yuval views as he goes out with friends; Provided by Yuval Moha
On the first weekend of my visit, I went out with friends in Tel Aviv. We chose to wear festive white clothes, as is customary on a summer weekend, and we set out from one of their homes on Yarkon Street toward Rothschild Boulevard. This combination of festive attire and a good mood stood in complete contrast to what I saw on the way. As we passed through Allenby Street, I was confronted with the complete destruction of houses. This was a result of the Iranian attack that had taken place just two weeks earlier. My friends, who had grown used to the sight, kept walking, but I stopped. I stood a few steps behind them to take in the full picture. It was a moment when I truly understood the price of war. I felt an ambivalence I couldn’t put into words: the Israeli zest for life, the decision to go out and celebrate, stood directly opposite the destruction and the pain. I realized at that moment that only here, in Israel, could you find this complex combination.
Yuval visited Micha Biton’s home. Micha lives in the Gaza Envelope, in Netiv HaAsara—the closest kibbutz to the Gaza strip—which Hamas tried to occupy on October 7. The kibbutz lost 20 members. Micha was only able to return home this past May. During the tour of his home, Micha showed Yuval the path of one of the terrorists from October 7. In the viewpoint photos, you can SEE Gaza and the buildings destroyed and the wall separating Israel.
Chavik Segal, an older woman at this kibbutz, was murdered in a safe room after fleeing her home during the October 7 attacks. In the shelter, you can see the bullet damage from the exact location where she was murdered by a terrorist. Two men from the kibbutz came out from their homes to try to stop this terrorist, but were unsuccessful. The son of one of these men shared his story with Yuval.
Yakov and Bilha Inon believed strongly in peace. Their home was the first house in the kibbutz that was burned down by terrorists.
At the site of the Nova Music Festival massacre, new monuments have been built, showing the garbage containers in which people hid. The display tells the stories of people who were murdered at Nova. The memorial also includes a recreation of the bar. A view from the main stage shows all of the memorials for the individuals who lost their lives that day.
Near Sderot, a memorial has been erected which serves as a tribute to the victims in the Gaza Envelope region and at the Nova Music Festival. The Car Wall is a pile of over 1,500 burned and bullet-riddled vehicles from Route 232 and other sites.
Memorial stones were erected in memory of the destroyed police station in Sderot. Yuval visited this site with Micha Biton, who has a quote from one of his songs included on one of the memorial stones.
On the day of a holiday or on a weekday, Sderot and a house, a person and a violin”
– Micha Biton and Chaim Uliel
What do I want to tell you? A visit to this country, even when it’s in a difficult state, isn’t just a trip; it’s an internal journey. It’s a journey that teaches me to contain pain along with hope, to understand the strength of the human spirit, and to recognize that—even in the darkest moments—light can emerge.
-Yuval Moha
