Forest in memory of 414 people killed at Nova festival opens in Mendoza — Jerusalem Post

In the city of Mendoza, Argentina, the Bosque KKL Nova memorial forest dedicated to the 414 people killed during the mass murder at the Nova music festival on October 7 was opened. The forest contains 414 planted trees, each symbolizing one victim of the tragedy, the Jerusalem Post reports.

The first memorial outside Israel

The project was implemented by the Argentine branch of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund in partnership with the city of Mendoza. The organizers called the forest the first memorial site dedicated to Nova festival victims created outside Israel.

A monument is planned for the center of the forest, intended to become a place for meetings, reflection and honoring the dead. Jacarandas, olive trees, cypresses, lapachos, sweetgums and other species were planted there, selected based on local conditions and symbolic significance.

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Participation of the victims’ families

A delegation of victims’ families, representatives of the Nova Tribe Community Association and KKL-JNF took part in the opening ceremony. According to KKL-JNF, delegation members held meetings and testimony events in Buenos Aires and Mendoza, spoke with Argentina’s Jewish community, and addressed synagogues and educational institutions.

Rif Peretz, executive director of the Nova Tribe Community Association, stated that the living memorial will help tell people abroad about the names and stories of the people symbolized by the trees. Omri Kochavi, the association’s project manager and a survivor of the attack on the Nova festival, also joined the delegation.