On the morning of Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Nova music festival in southern Israel, near the Gaza-Israel border, hundreds of concert-goers were enjoying what they imagined would be a beautiful day, filled with music surrounded by friends and fellow enthusiasts. Hamas, a terrorist organization, had other plans that would turn fatal for so many.
As Hamas assailants infiltrated the festival by air and land, people scattered to find shelter, but to little avail. Many ran for cover under brush or cars, attempting to flee for their lives from impending gunfire. Over 300 innocent civilians were murdered at Nova and many are still missing in the desert.
Meanwhile, across the country, thousands of Hamas terrorists were pouring over the Gaza border, overrunning military outposts, and laying siege to dozens of Israeli towns. Hamas committed unspeakable atrocities on innocent civilians – indiscriminately killing women, children and elderly holocaust survivors in their beds, and brutally kidnapping others to Gaza.
To date, over 1,200 Israelis have been murdered and 3,400 wounded, with many in critical condition. Hundreds of others have been kidnapped and remain hostage or missing, while their families grieve and pray for their safe return.
“While our family, friends and colleagues in Israel are still reeling from these atrocities, we are unified in purpose. We stand together in our commitment to support the victims and their families through the many hard days ahead,” said Ben Perlman, Director of Strategy at Ocean State Job Lot.
We cannot change the past, but we can act with empathy and compassion to support those whose lives have been shattered by this tragedy. Please join us as we come together as a community to support Israel and provide critical aid in this time of crisis. To make a donation, please visit the Crisis and Natural Disaster Relief page on our website, or donate at any of our 152 stores to help victims in need.