We Will Dance Again
Reflecting On The Nova Exhibition, I'm Reminded of Our Ability To Heal
Yesterday was a game-changer. Los Angeles is hosting the controversial Nova Exhibition that was recently shown in New York City. The reason I refer to it as controversial is because when it was in New York, countless evil, face-covered antisemites used the exhibit to exhibit their hateful rhetoric and violent tendencies, which in many situations, they act upon. These are not peaceful protesters, they are the new, uglier version of the KKK—keen to cause chaos. In a world that is so fractured and divided, my bet is that they will be on the losing side. Unfortunately, they are being tolerated at this moment, for some ungodly reason. But they will lose in the end, as all evil does.
The Nova Exhibition is a moving—non-denominational, a-political, overwhelming, poetic in the abstract, heartfelt, courageous, extraordinary, inspirational, hard to comprehend—presentation of the truth. Truth. Is that a concept that has any meaning anymore? Despite the sad new truth about truth, Nova shows you what happened on that fateful day. War is hell, yet this somehow was worse.
What erupted at 6:29 AM on October 7, after thousands of beautiful, joyous souls were peaking in a state of transcendence, the devil rose from hell and stole their souls in one—horrendous, incomprehensible—fell swoop.
[SIDEBAR] Don’t anyone dare mention the women and children in Gaza here. Not now, not yet, not till all the hostages come home.
Nova speaks to what occurred on that fateful day on the dance floor. An event dedicated to music as the universal language that brings people together. A free-love festival where dancing under the twinkling stars till sunrise was the only agenda for the revelers. This diverse group of happy people were not there to sew hate, to destroy lives, to deny anyone their place in this world.
But that is not what motivates the unfortunate armies of hate that have been festering for centuries in caves, people worse than basement dwellers. People? Frankly, they are a lower form of human, which in my mind, they’ve lost the honor of being referred to as such. Calling these terrorists animals would be an insult to animals. In the case of Nazis, at least Germany has tried and done quite a bit in an effort to be forgiven and at least try and redeem themselves to make up for the tragedies they caused. Yet, I have zero faith for those who use Allah’s name in vain. Those dingy, lunatics believe they’re pious and really don’t deserve to live, nor do their followers.
Ahhhh, that felt good to get off my chest.
What was so emotional about my experience being at Nova was how it brought back so many long-lost memories. Stories my mother told us about her experience during the Holocaust. Surviving the unthinkable between the Vilna Ghetto, the cattle cars, Dachau concentration camp, and the Death March. As a child, my mom’s stories conjured up unfathomable imagery that could never be erased—better pushed way back into my psyche. At Nova, thoughts and remembrances crept up and lived alongside the traumatic footage and recordings that comprise the Nova Exhibition. It was a connection to the past that made me feel hopeful and connected to my amazing parents who are no longer with us for having lived through the worst of mankind. Those who once again are freely walking our streets.
Let’s face it, Jews notoriously, historically, unfortunately have been slaughtered and chased from their homes—INCLUDING OUR ORIGINAL HOMELAND JUDEA. So y’all can suck it when we defend our freedom to exist. Freedom….hmmm…now there’s a word that sounds familiar. If I’m not drunk, isn’t it the current theme from the Democratic National Convention this year? Freedom. Fighting for our freedom? Defending our freedoms to choose, to love, to vote?
[SIDEBAR] I have been talking for months about using the word “Freedom” to replace the overused word “Democracy” this election cycle. Glad y’all got the message and it stuck!
If ‘Freedom’ is good enough for America to stand for, it better damn well be good enough for Israel, too. Might I say, to deny the freedoms of the Jewish people and our state would be at your own peril. Be it here or abroad. When Jews are threatened, just know, we, too, have the right to exist and do what must be done. The same way we Americans have the right to live our best lives and even select our political party which best suits our emotional well-being.
Tangents aside, if you are in the Los Angeles area, please visit the Nova Exhibition in Culver City. I promise those two hours will open your heart to the humanity that originally created the Nova Festival.
The intention of the Nova Exhibition by the creators have an important message as one of the key takeaways—to be part of healing the world. Yes, I said that. After what they experienced and survived, their goal—which has been achieved—is to present a beautiful, meaningful, impactful happening. A moment that must be experienced to those with a heart.
Peace…literally & figuratively…ABE
PS…That’s my mom, Henny, being accompanied by Leonard Bernstein in Germany 1948.
