Boy George Visits Nova Festival Massacre Site, Meets Survivors During Israel Tour

British pop star Boy George toured the site of the Nova music festival massacre at Re'im on Tuesday afternoon, his first visit to the grounds he invoked in his pro-Israel song "We Will Dance Again." Survivors guided him through the site and thanked him for standing with Israel despite criticism from fellow musicians.

The singer, dressed in plaid pants, his trademark top hat and dramatic eye makeup, walked slowly along the sandy paths, stopping to shake hands with visitors and bereaved family members who regularly spend time there. He listened to survivor Jenny Sividia, whose brother and his girlfriend were killed at the rave, and to May Hayat, who worked as a bartender that night and escaped the attackers by playing dead.

"I think it's very powerful to be here from a spiritual perspective," he told The Times of Israel. "I can see a lot of healing going on. An outsider never knows what it's really like; I spent hours thinking about what my reaction would be to survivors, to the President, but then you meet people and they're just people. The one thing they all have in common is they want to live in happiness."

George was on day four of his trip around Israel ahead of Tel Aviv shows on November 4 and November 7. The second concert is dedicated to Nova survivors, with philanthropist Sylvan Adams, who brought George to Israel, supplying 1,500 tickets for members of that bereaved community. On Monday, George met President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem and visited the Western Wall.

Former hostage Omer Shem Tov, a Nova survivor released after 505 days of captivity in Gaza, joined George at the site for only his second visit there. "I came to dance and enjoy with my friends, to have fun and to be free like thousands of people with me," Shem Tov said. "I never imagined this place would change my life." He thanked the singer for making the trip, saying that in the current climate it takes courage "to hop on a plane and perform here and to bring people closer."

Ofir Amir, a survivor and one of the rave's organizers who now helps manage the Tribe of Nova Association, echoed that sentiment. The association's traveling exhibit about the festival, which George first saw in London, sparked his song and ultimately his visit. "Artists have the power to influence millions of people and with that comes responsibility to make sure hatred never finds a home on our dance floors," Amir said, adding that he hoped the visit would inspire other artists.

George has faced widespread criticism and has been ostracized by fellow musicians for his outspoken support of Israel since the October 7, 2023 massacre, when a Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage to Gaza. At the Nova festival alone, 378 people were murdered amid scenes of brutal violence and rape, and another 44 were taken captive. The attack sparked the war in Gaza, where Israel faces accusations of genocide against Palestinians, which it vociferously denies.

The singer spoke of falling-outs with musicians he knows and respects, saying the term "genocide" became "a kind of chant." "What horrified me more was people who have no connection telling me it wasn't true, that it was made up and I shouldn't believe it," he said, noting that Jewish friends in London with contacts in Israel confirmed events for him quickly. He said he wrote a great deal of music in the months after the attack.

Of "We Will Dance Again," George said he assumed it would never get radio play but felt compelled to act. "I needed to write something that eclipses 'Karma Chameleon,' and I think I've done it," he said, referring to his 1983 hit with Culture Club. The song's most important line, he said, is "If you're ever confused, I stand with the Jews," and he plans to sing it in Tel Aviv as recorded, even though the high notes are a challenge.

George said he has "a lot of fun" dealing with hostile comments on social media, blocking "the nasty people," and shrugged off the pressure he has faced to boycott Israel, including a letter from Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, a prominent BDS supporter. "I got the Roger Waters letter, I put it in the bin," he said. George last performed in Israel in 2017 at Tel Aviv's Menora Mivtachim Arena. "I love it here," he said.