NOVA: We Will Dance Again
Every year by the sea — we sing, we dance, we mourn, we hope.
Every year on the anniversary of the Nova Music Festival massacre, JEWNITED.LV gathers by the sea. We sing. We dance. We mourn. We hope. It is becoming our most beloved — and most healing — tradition.
On 7 October 2023, the Nova Music Festival became the site of the deadliest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. More than 360 young people were killed at the festival; hundreds more were taken hostage. JEWNITED.LV created the Riga tribute as an act of collective memory — and collective refusal to let that night define the future.
The Beachside Tribute
Every summer, hundreds gather on the Jūrmala shore. There is music, prayer, silence, and dancing. It is a night where grief and hope share the same space — exactly as they did at Nova.
Film Screening: "We Will Dance Again"
In September 2025, JEWNITED.LV hosted a public screening of the documentary about the Nova massacre at the Palace, Riga's iconic cinema. The event was open to the public and drew a broad audience beyond the Jewish community.
Ellad Hakim's Visit to Riga
A survivor of the Nova Festival, Ellad Hakim, visited Riga in September 2025 at JEWNITED.LV's invitation. He gave interviews to LTV, LSM.RUS, DIENA, and Christian Radio — bringing his personal story directly to Latvian audiences.
A Growing Tradition
What began as a single vigil has become an annual gathering that unites Jewish and non-Jewish Latvians alike. Each year the crowd grows. Each year the message is the same: we remember, we stand together, and we will dance again.
Media Coverage
The event and Ellad Hakim's visit generated coverage across four major Latvian outlets — LTV, LSM.RUS, DIENA, and Christian Radio — reaching audiences well beyond the Jewish community and ensuring that the story of October 7 remained part of public discourse in Latvia.
“The beach, the music, the sea, a warm evening, a stunning sunset — and you, irreplaceable ones. We sang. We danced. We prayed. We remembered. We cried. We hoped.”