Friday, October 16, 2026
Three years after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, the Lev Jewish Academy in Lawrence brought its school community together for an evening of remembrance, reflection and hope featuring a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre.
The academy, formerly known as Brandeis Hebrew Academy, hosted “A Conversation with Chen Almog,” who survived the attacks in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken captive. Almog, who also served as a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces’ artillery corps, shared her firsthand account of the attack, her escape and the emotional journey she has taken toward rebuilding her life.
The evening featured presentations from students, parents and teachers before Almog addressed the audience.
Head of School Raz Levin said the event was intended to honor the victims of Oct. 7 while also reminding the Jewish community of the importance of unity and resilience.
“Oct. 7 turned into one of the worst days of the State of Israel,” Levin said, “a day of an attempt for a genocide in Israel.”
He said the attacks affected Jews not only in Israel, but around the world.
“Many of the Jews in Israel and all around the world still think about Oct. 7,” Levin said. “Babies, kids, young men and women, soldiers, elderly — so many victims.”
Levin said the school has a responsibility to remember those who were killed while teaching students about the challenges facing the Jewish people.
“We need to take an oath,” he said. “For sure, our enemies are strong, but we need to be strong as well.”
He also emphasized that Jewish unity must extend beyond differences in background, nationality or religious practice.
“It doesn’t matter if somebody is Black, American, Egyptian,” Levin said. “These are the unifiers of the Jewish team for us. They are all Jews.”
Levin said meeting Almog and hearing her story brought the events of Oct. 7 into a deeply personal perspective.
“She happened to be a survivor of this terrible party, a group of young men and women who celebrated life,” he said. “Instead of celebrating life, they had to face that.”
Dvir Vider, a student at Lev Jewish Academy, told the audience that the three-year anniversary was an opportunity to remember the magnitude of the attacks and their continuing impact.
“We are gathering today to mark the third anniversary of the tragic events of Oct. 7, 2023,” she said. “Events that are indescribable in human terms, devastating, resulting in shock, grief and trauma among Israeli society and among Jews across the globe.”
Dvir described the morning of Oct. 7 as a day when Israel experienced an unprecedented terrorist attack.
“The events of that day have left an indelible mark on our people,” she said. “We gather today not only to remember those who were lost, but to honor their lives and ensure that their stories are never forgotten.”
Almog recalled arriving at the Nova festival with a friend at about 2 a.m. It was her first festival, and she remembered being struck by the music, stage and energy of the event.
Festival-goers danced and enjoyed themselves until around 6:30 a.m., when the music suddenly stopped.
“Suddenly, everything around us just became very chaotic,” Almog said.
Rockets filled the sky as people tried to flee, Almog recalled, adding that she and her friend joined a massive line of cars attempting to leave the festival grounds.
“We got out and then was when I began to hear the gunfire,” Almog said.
At one point, Almog froze as her friend continued running. The two became separated, and Almog found herself alone.
She eventually followed others into hiding and spent about three hours lying on the ground, afraid to raise her head.
“Most of what I remember from this entire hiding is what I heard,” she said. “It’s people calling for help. It’s people screaming in pain.”
Eventually, she emerged from hiding and found a friend. They located her car, which miraculously had sustained only minor damage, and managed to drive away.
Almog arrived home that afternoon but soon decided she wanted to return to her military unit. She served for about a month and a half before an army psychiatrist determined she was no longer fit for service.
She described the months that followed as a period of anger, fear and confusion.
“I would cry, I would scream, I’d laugh within a moment of each other,” she said. “I could not sleep. I pulled away from the people who tried to help me.”
Almog eventually traveled to the United States, where she began to see beauty and hope once again. She later moved to New York and began therapy.
“I really began to see light,” she said.
Almog encouraged members of the Lev community who are struggling with trauma to seek help.
“Please do not dismiss your pain,” she said. “Do not compare it to someone else’s and decide that yours does not deserve care.”
She said recovery does not mean forgetting what happened.
“There can be light ahead, even when you cannot see it yet,” Almog said. “Sometimes you feel pulled backward. I know that feeling, but that does not erase the progress you have made.”
She ended her story with a message of hope.
“There was a time when I could not imagine life feeling good again,” Almog said. “Today I want to keep building a life with room for joy, for love and for hope, because life is beautiful. Even after everything, I do believe that.”
