New exhibit tells story of 10/7 Hamas attack at music festival and the sexual violence that occurred

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- On the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, much of the work that's been done in Los Angeles the past year focuses on telling the story of what happened.

Specifically, the sexual violence committed against Israeli women, some who survived and others who did not.

Sex crimes prosecutor Jennifer Long, who is not Israeli or Jewish and had no direct connection to the October 7 attack, spent the past year studying and telling those stories as part of the group "I Believe Israeli Women."

"I noticed something that was horrifically extraordinary which was that in our field, which is a field that's pretty loud around sexual violence and injustice, there was a really audible silence," said Long. "The politics were injected into something that is, by its very nature, apolitical. Sexual violence is never acceptable. It's never something to condone. It's never something that someone had coming."

Deborah Marcus, a delegate with "I Believe Israeli Women," wonders: Where were the groups advocating for women?

"This horrible thing happens on October 7, the news reports come out, there's no secret to what happened to the women, and where were all the womens organizations?" she asked. "That's really what started this movement, to say when we've stood up for women across the globe and here in our country, where are those voices now? It was #MeToo, except for Jews."

Some of the sexual violence that took place on October 7 occurred at the Nova Music Festival. The festival was recreated as an exhibition in L.A. to honor the victims and survivors and to tell the story of what was meant to be a beautiful gathering of young people.

Noa Beer ran onto one of the Nova stages to stop the music when she learned the attack was underway and was later shot at while fleeing in a vehicle.

"This has nothing to do with countries or borders," said Beer. "These are people, we are people, that went to a music festival like any other person would, and over 400 of our friends haven't come home."

The exhibit is an immersive experience with testimonials from survivors, remnants of the festival grounds, including tents, porta potties, burned cars, and items left behind.

"Their voices were silenced on that day, and for those who survived and had told the stories about what they heard and then what they saw and then not to be believed ... that's why we're doing what we're doing," said Marcus.

"I Believe Israeli Women" held an event last month at the exhibit with leading women in the entertainment industry from a variety of diverse backgrounds to learn and discuss the atrocities of October 7.

Attendees included Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer and television personality Sharon Osbourne.

"It's really easy to hate and so much harder to love," said Beer. "If I can spread more love. If I can change even one person from a state of hating to a state of loving, I'm doing the right thing."

The Nova Exhibition in Los Angeles will run through Oct. 20 at 8631 Hayden Place in Culver City. For more information, you can visit novaexhibition.com