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Jewish Unity Gathering in Sarasota
Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday night in a show of support for Israel and the Jewish community while screening a documentary that shares the story of a survivor of the October 7, 2023 terror attack.
SARASOTA, Fla. - More than 700 people came out for the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee's Jewish Unity Rally to honor Israel Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day Tuesday evening. It was the largest gathering the federation has ever hosted.
Mike Driquez, the event's keynote speaker and Israel's Deputy Consul General of Miami, said this year feels different from others in many ways.
"Since we didn't have this closure, we are still in the middle of this war that we didn't look for, we didn't search for, we didn't want," he said. "It's very complicated to celebrate."
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The ceremony started with a moment of silence followed by a reading of the names of the lives lost in 2023. Posters of the people still missing were plastered on the back wall of the auditorium.
A nearly hour-long documentary about the first-hand experience of a 24-year-old man that narrowly escaped the Nova Music Festival in Israel last October was shown. Yuval Siman Tov lost two of his friends that day.
"We are trying to do our best in order to do good for each other, to talk with each other and get better from day to day. It's not easy, but we are trying our best at it," he said.
The documentary is called SuperNova: The Music Festival Massacre. Co-Director Noam Pinchas said it's not an easy watch, but it's an important recollection for people to see.
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"It's a testimony of what really happened that day," he said. "You can't look the other way. It's a very hands-on experience of this horrific event."
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee hopes that through events like this, hope and strength will culminate in the local Jewish community.
"It shows more support that we have around the world," Driquez said. "And, I can tell you that it's something we don't take for granted."
SuperNova: The Music Festival Massacre is not currently available in the U.S. but the filmmakers believe that may change in the future.
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