Nova Heaven installation at Burning Man 2024 (Credit Tal Navarro) At this year’s Burning Man festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, an installation called “Nova Heaven” was created to honor the victims of the Nova Festival Massacre in southern Israel Oct. 7, 2023.
The installation featured a 140-foot-wide desert hued pink, blue and black tent pavilion with elements of the original shade station used at the Nova festival almost eleven months ago. At the entrance, was an arch with the words”We Will Dance Again” — the rallying cry (and recurring coping activity) used by those standing in remembrance of victims. The pavilion featured 405 laser-cut angels symbolizing each Nova Festival attendee and staff member murdered by Hamas. A spiral staircase at the pavilion also displayed 100 messages in both English and Hebrew featuring phrases such as “love conquers all” and “compassion unites us.”
“This installation wasn’t just for the people who came to see it — it was for us, too,” Tal Navarro, who has attended many Burning Mans, told the Journal. She managed the digital presence and fundraising for Nova Heaven at Burning Man. “Every year at Burning Man is special for me. I got married there, I was pregnant there. But this year was beyond words because I came with the Nova team to build the installation and be part of something deeply personal.”
Navarro, an entrepreneur and mother of two, said the Nova Heaven project was the most meaningful Burning Man activity she’s ever done.
“I’ll keep working on this,” she said. “Whether it’s managing the media, fundraising, or organizing events, I’ll be there. This is something that I believe in deeply, and I’m not going to stop.”
The installation culminated in a “We Will Dance Again” remembrance ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, at 6:29 a.m., marking the exact time the attack on the Nova festival began. The nine day installation featured trance music, Hebrew prayers and healing sessions.
“Everyone was waiting for that moment,” Navarro said. “It was a very emotional moment for all of us — especially for the Nova survivors who were with me. To stand there, dancing next to people who personally knew the names on the [angel] wings, while they cried and hugged — it’s something I will never forget.”
“It was a very emotional moment for all of us — especially for the Nova survivors who were with me. To stand there, dancing next to people who personally knew the names on the [angel] wings, while they cried and hugged — it’s something I will never forget.” – Tal Navarro
Throughout the run of this year’s Burning Man, Navarro saw that for many of the Nova survivors in attendance, the installation provided a much-needed space for healing and collective mourning at one of the best-known desert-festivals in the world.
“To see their friends’ names on the wings, to be able to dance and cry together — it was a very healing experience,” Navarro said.
There were some concerns among organizers of Nova Heaven that anti-Israel agitation would be directed at them. But Navarro was relieved to find that the Nova Heaven installation remained a peaceful space.
“I was worried about how people would react, but there was nothing like that,” Navarro said. “In fact, it was the opposite. We had so many people joining us, dancing with us. There were Israeli flags all around the Playa, and everything felt peaceful.” Though there were Palestinian flags and Gaza messages at other parts of the Burning Man festival, Navarro didn’t notice any incidents at Nova Heaven.
Gezel Nehmadi, who attended her 15th Burning Man this year, told The Journal that there was some heated dialogue about Israel and Palestine.
“I had two really deep and sometimes aggressive conversations on the Playa about Israel and Palestine … It was rough but I felt better for it.” Nehmadi also attended another Shabbat (not affiliated with Nova Heaven) and said that it was “packed and felt really good, with people crying, praying, supporting each other.”
Round-the-clock “guardians,” many of whom were participants and producers from the original Nova Festival, maintained a protective presence at the installation.
Navarro explained that the installation changed her on a personal level. “Every year, Burning Man transforms you in some way, but this year was different. I came back feeling more connected than ever to Nova and to the survivors I met. I feel prouder than ever of who I am, and more connected than ever to Nova.”
Omri Sasi, a co-founder of Tribe of Nova nonprofit, and Nova festival producer Sarel Botavia co-created the Nova Heaven installation. Sasi, of Moonclipse, lost his father Avi in the Oct. 7 attacks when he jumped on a grenade to protect the other Nova festival attendees who were hiding from Hamas terrorists.
There were several acts and events throughout the Nova Heaven run. One of the performers was Scarlett De La Torres, who performed “Shir LaMaalot” (“Song of Ascents”).
“Singing ‘Shir LaMaalot’ with everyone beneath the actual tent of the Nova Festival was so profound and one of the most beautiful healing processes I’ve ever experienced,” De La Torres said in an Instagram post after Burning Man. “The resilience of the Jewish spirit inspires me every day. This is a message of love and unity, a prayer for an ancient conflict to resolve, a prayer for harmony, and a prayer that we can transmute pain and sorrow through music and relating. I truly believe that music is what is going to heal this planet.” De La Torres also hosted a free Hebrew Codes class where she taught the music and meaning behind “Ana B’Koach” (about divine strength and protection across the seven levels of spiritual energy), “Elohai Neshama” (a prayer of gratitude for the soul’s purity and renewal), and “‘Shir LaMaalot.”
Former IDF soldier David Shemesh led sound healing sessions at the Nova pavilion. Trance musician DJ Captain Hook (Reshef Harari) was slated to do a three-hour set beginning at 6:29 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31 with Sasi. It ended up lasting seven hours. Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani, the Israeli psy-trace duo Infected Mushroom, did a set at Nova Heaven where they honored 18 people from the Israeli psy-trance production company Mushroom Project, who were murdered at the Nova festival. Mushroom Project founders and 35-year old twins Osher and Michael Vaknin, were among those murdered on Oct. 7.
Navarro explained that many visitors from all walks of life came to the Nova Heaven installation, some unaware of the gruesome story behind it.
“We had ambassadors who were available at all times to explain what the installation was,” Navarro said. “There were no signs or explanations provided in writing. Instead, people were encouraged to ask questions, and our team was there to explain. Some thought it was a resting spot or a party area. When they found out it was a tribute to the victims of the Nova Festival, their reactions were powerful.”
That power and healing was felt by Tal Nimrodi of Santa Cruz, during an early morning shift as lead volunteer at Nova Heaven, where she met a Nova survivor whose girlfriend and best friend were murdered on Oct. 7.
“As if that wasn’t enough, a week after the massacre, his mother committed suicide,” Nimrodi wrote on Instagram. “We talked and breathed, and he told me that until he finds the names of his girlfriend and best friend, he won’t feel a complete closure — so we did just that. What a powerful moment to be a part of and be able to hold space for the pain and grief, to share tears and hugs and be there to dream of a better future.”
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