‘For me, time stands still,’ says mother of Nova festival victim

Speaking at the memorial event for bereaved Nova families, after a subdued performance by singer Yuval Dayan, Orin Zach-Gantz tearfully says she “is still in denial” about what happened to her daughter Eden, who had attended the music festival.

“I can’t digest that my beloved daughter was shot on her way home, while in her car. She had left the house to go to a beautiful festival, of music and peace,” says Zach-Gantz.

For a time Eden Zach-Gantz’s fate was unclear, but it was later determined that Aden, who was shot on October 7, was likely killed then. Her body was recovered in an IDF operation in December.

“I am a bereaved mother, but I don’t accept that word. They ask me how it feels after a year, but I am still stuck in the seventh of October. The world goes on, but for me, time stands still,” she says.

Zach-Gantz is one of the many bereaved family members who are sharing personal stories at the event.

The terrorists “succeeded in their attack, no doubt they murdered my daughter… I swear to you Aden… they won’t win the war,” she concludes forcefully.