The pain of the families: One year and seven months after the massacre – Haifa still has no memorial for the victims of the 'Nova'

(live here) – A year and seven months have passed since the October 7 massacre, and despite the victims Haifa suffered at the Nova party and during the fighting, the city of Haifa has yet to establish an official memorial to the murdered. The families of the fallen have repeatedly appealed to the municipality to demand a memorial, but they say they have repeatedly encountered difficulties and bureaucracy that have delayed the process. "They promised us that they would work to commemorate them, but so far nothing has been done."

Promised a collage

Olga Petrenko, the mother of the late Daniela Petrenko, who was murdered at the Nova party, has difficulty accepting the fact that despite the time that has passed, the city of Haifa still has no memorial for her daughter and the rest of the murdered. "I asked the municipality to put up a collage with pictures of all the murdered from 'Nova,'" she says. "The mayor, Yona Yahav, called us a few months ago and promised that the municipality would purchase the collage and place it in the lobby of the city hall, but nothing has happened since."

Bench for Dana

After a long period of no progress from the municipality, Olga proposed erecting a bench in memory of her daughter – but, she says, this initiative also encountered obstacles. “I wanted to put up a bench with a heart, a place where people could sit and remember Dana,” she says. “They told me it would cost 60,000 NIS. I was willing to pay, but over a year has passed and nothing has happened. Now I don’t want anything anymore.”

"At least a few trees"

Olga emphasizes that her daughter loved Haifa very much, even though she left the city about a year before she was murdered. "Many people contact the municipality and ask that something be done in memory of the murdered, but nothing happens. I found someone who agreed to erect a bench free of charge, and it's still not moving forward."

"I don't understand why nothing is being done," she continues. "If not a bench, then a grove, and if not a grove, then at least a few trees. We were at a ceremony in Rishon LeZion, where the mayor promised that he would not abandon the bereaved families. I have not heard such a statement from Haifa, and it is very sad. You can't forget something like that, she didn't die of an illness, she was murdered by terrorists. It breaks the heart, and there is no one to talk to."

It takes time

Yaakov Banjo, the father of the late Itay Banjo, who was also murdered at the Nova party, explains that there is currently no official commemoration, but there is hope that a garden will be established in memory of the four Haifa residents who were murdered in Nova. "Initially, we were in contact with the mayor's assistant about a commemoration, but nothing came of it. Now the administration of the Leo Buck School, where Itay and Shani Kuperwasser studied, has taken part in the commemoration initiative, and we hope that a beautiful garden will be established in memory of Itay, Shani, Liz Ohayon and Daniela Petrenko," he says. "We want to see a commemoration as soon as possible, but we understand that it takes time."

"Initiating a collective commemoration for all the fallen"

The Haifa Municipality announced that it intends to initiate a collective commemoration for all the fallen of the Iron Swords War, and that the issue will be brought up for discussion by the Public Commemoration Committee. However, the bereaved families are demanding to see results on the ground as soon as possible.