{"id":453423,"date":"2026-05-21T20:19:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:19:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/453423\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T20:19:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T20:19:13","slug":"down-an-alley-past-police-barricades-visitors-throng-to-londons-unsettling-nova-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/453423\/","title":{"rendered":"Down an alley past police barricades, visitors throng to London’s unsettling Nova exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONDON \u2014 Down an alleyway behind a small pub in the hipster enclave of Shoreditch, visitors in the know will find the Nova Exhibition, which opened to the public on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The homage to the 364 people murdered at the Nova festival \u2014 who were among some 1,200 people in southern Israel slaughtered by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, in addition to 251 taken hostage that day \u2014 is\u00a0understated by design<\/a>, with little to announce it from the street. No signs point the way to the display, and curious passersby may wonder about the large traffic blockades and unusually high number of police officers patrolling the area.<\/p>\n

Shoreditch is part of the London borough of Hackney, which has just elected<\/a> a mayor from the Green Party<\/a> \u2014 known for putting anti-Israel activism front and center in its campaigning. And the exhibition\u2019s opening comes days after the city was brought to a virtual standstill by two opposing demonstrations<\/a>, neither one a welcome sight for the Jewish community: a pro-Palestinian march to commemorate Nakba Day, and a far-right rally led by anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.<\/p>\n

That, along with a recent wave of antisemitic and anti-Israel activity in Britain \u2014 including beatings<\/a>, stabbings<\/a>, arson<\/a> and deadly terror attacks<\/a>, against a backdrop of increasingly<\/a> visible hate speech<\/a> and vandalism<\/a> \u2014 might have given potential visitors pause. But turnout is already high, say organizers.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tSuzanne Bond of Essex visits London\u2019s Nova Exhibition on May 20, 2026. (Lianne Kolirin)<\/p>\n

Hundreds of people passed through the heavily secured doors on the first day, while thousands more tickets have been sold for the six-week run.<\/p>\n

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Among the first inside was Suzanne Bond, who came with her husband from Essex.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen so many documentaries on it \u2014 but out there [at the exhibition], you just feel like you\u2019re there,\u201d Bond said through tears. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine what they went through that day. It\u2019s very distressing, but I had to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching [the documentary on the massacre] \u2018We Will Dance Again,\u2019 you see them all dancing and then all of a sudden the evil just comes through. I know people support the other side, but I don\u2019t know how they can,\u201d said\u00a0Bond, who was wearing a badge bearing an intertwined Union Jack and Star of David.<\/p>\n

The exhibition itself is a recreation of the chaos and carnage wreaked on the Nova festival, complete with burnt out skeletons of vehicles, empty tents, upturned portable toilets and countless shoes, clothes and other personal effects discarded by those who fled.<\/p>\n

It features audio capturing the horrors \u2014 the piercing sounds of rocket fire, continual honking of car horns, distant screams of suffering, and cries of \u201callahu akbar\u201d by the marauding terrorists \u2014 all while extensive footage and recordings from that day play out on TV screens and mobile phones.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA photo from the Nova Exhibition in London, May 19, 2026. (James Shaw)<\/p>\n

The experience is guaranteed to turn your stomach and leave you with a dull, grinding headache. Yet Lisa Marlowe is determined to be here every day of the exhibition\u2019s run.<\/p>\n

Her son Jake Marlowe<\/a> had moved to Israel in 2021 and was working as an unarmed security guard at the festival. When the rockets began flying and Hamas stormed the barricades, Jake didn\u2019t run, but stayed to save others. Tragically, he died after being shot nine times.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like my Jakey is coming home for six weeks, which is just unbelievable,\u201d Marlowe told The Times of Israel. \u201cAlthough I\u2019ve got photos and things of him on the phone, I get to see him every day, larger than life, which is wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Together with her husband Michael, 64, Marlowe is determined for Jake\u2019s story to be heard in the city where he grew up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very important it comes here,\u201d she said of the exhibition, which includes a memorial for their son. \u201cEverybody must know what happened there, and there can\u2019t be any denying it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Nova festival massacre was the site of horrific atrocities, including widespread sexual assault. In addition to those murdered, hundreds more were injured and dozens were abducted from the trance music party. Each day of the exhibition, survivors and bereaved relatives will share their experiences of the carnage and its aftermath. Many heartbreaking stories have emerged from October 7, but for the community here in Britain, Jake has become almost emblematic.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tMichael and Lisa Marlowe with their son Jake in an undated photo taken before the October 7, 2023, massacre. (Courtesy of the Marlowe family)<\/p>\n

The experience could have left Jake\u2019s family feeling isolated, but Marlowe describes how they have been engulfed by love since their son was murdered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people we\u2019ve met \u2014 we\u2019ve been beyond lucky,\u201d she said. \u201cThese people have opened their arms and enveloped us in their love and care.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of those Marlowe now counts among her friends is Jo Woolfe, who spearheaded the campaign to bring the exhibition to London following stints in cities including New York, Berlin and Buenos Aires.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tJo Woolfe, left, with Nova festival co-founder Ofer Amir and co-chair of the London exhibition Sara Dein. (Courtesy of the Nova Exhibition)<\/p>\n

Half Israeli, Woolfe was heavily involved for two years after October 7 in campaigning to free the hostages being held in Gaza. Woolfe first heard about the exhibition while in LA two years ago and later became even more determined to bring it to London after seeing it in Toronto.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of people say to me, \u2018Do you really think this is the right time? It\u2019s so hostile,\u2019\u201d said Woolfe. \u201cUnfortunately, I think this is the only time to do it. It\u2019s no good doing it in five years\u2019 time when, please God, everything\u2019s okay. It needs to be now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople need to learn about Nova,\u201d she said. \u201cIf my kids go to a festival or a concert, I don\u2019t tell them to be careful of the terrorists, I tell them to have a good time. It could have been any of our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lizzy, a teacher visiting the exhibition who requested that her last name be withheld, felt the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have children who are also in their 20s, and the more that I\u2019ve read, the more heartbreaking this story is,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lizzy said she knew little about the Middle East before October 7 but has since joined numerous vigils alongside the Jewish community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn London, every other week you have thousands of people marching [for Gaza], but when British Jews come together it\u2019s really just British Jews,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tGuests visit the Nova Exhibition in London, May 20, 2026. (Lianne Kolirin)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father fought during World War II, and he said, \u2018You have to bear witness to the atrocities that went on in Auschwitz,\u2019 and I feel that\u2019s what we as non-Jewish British people need to do now,\u201d Lizzy said.<\/p>\n

Standing and taking in the smiling photos of the hundreds brutally murdered at Nova was Rosie Cresner. She said she felt it was an \u201cimportant time to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA photo from the Nova Exhibition in London, May 19, 2026. (James Shaw)<\/p>\n

Cresner said she felt nervous about coming to the exhibition, but the feeling was more about how \u201cI was going to respond to seeing this\u201d rather than concern about the security situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, I think it was quite difficult to absorb. When I got inside and saw someone I knew, I just started crying,\u201d Cresner said.<\/p>\n

Also visiting was Mary, a doctor who asked not to give her full name. She said she didn\u2019t know about the exhibition until reading about it on Tuesday, and then felt compelled to come.<\/p>\n

When asked what struck her most, Mary became tearful.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing that probably was most painful is that in the pictures of the people who died at Nova, there\u2019s a disabled girl, and I have a disabled daughter, and I found that particularly hard because they\u2019re so vulnerable and they don\u2019t understand \u2014 and whoever\u2019s war it is, it isn\u2019t their war,\u201d Mary said.<\/p>\n

Sixteen-year-old Ruth Peretz was murdered<\/a> at the festival along with her father, Erick, 58. Ruth was born with cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy and used a wheelchair. Erick had taken her to the festival because of her love of music.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA photo from the Nova Exhibition in London, May 19, 2026. (James Shaw)<\/p>\n

Visitor Patrick Seamus McGhee is an honorary research fellow in religious history at Durham University.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very important to see firsthand the scale and the depth of the evil that was perpetrated on October 7, especially at a time when a lot of people look away more, equivocate or try to make excuses for some of the geopolitical things happening,\u201d said McGhee. \u201cWhat we need more than anything else is moral clarity and honesty about this terrible, inexcusable atrocity, so that\u2019s why I wanted to make sure I came as soon as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to the opening, reports emerged that police had asked organizers to remove banners for the event out of concern that the location could be targeted by terror attacks or mobs of protesters. Woolfe, who took the call from the police, said it was because the banner had been put up earlier than expected.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tA photo from the Nova Exhibition in London, May 19, 2026. (James Shaw)<\/p>\n

It now stands proud, wrapping around the entrance to the impressive underground exhibition space. Nevertheless, it is clear that bringing the display to Britain is no small achievement in the current climate.<\/p>\n

As co-founder of the actual Nova festival, Yagil Rimony was in charge of its security. Since then, he has been responsible for securing the memorial exhibition wherever it is staged worldwide.<\/p>\n

Rimony expressed solidarity with Britain\u2019s Jewish community at a time when \u201cantisemitism is once again raising its ugly head openly and unashamedly,\u201d and went on to stress that people should not be deterred from visiting because of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to reassure the London public that robust arrangements will be in place both inside and outside the venue, and that we are working in close coordination with the Metropolitan Police,\u201d Rimony said. \u201cVisitors should come without hesitation, and see for themselves what 600,000 people around the world have already experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LONDON \u2014 Down an alleyway behind a small pub in the hipster enclave of Shoreditch, visitors in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":453424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[97363,7506,85,46,442,43,190785,211661,190784],"class_list":["post-453423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-british-jews","tag-exhibition","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-london","tag-news","tag-nova-festival","tag-nova-survivors","tag-october-7-hamas-atrocities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/453424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}