October 7 as an Open Wound – Encounters with Israel’s Collective Memory

Nir Oz was one of the communities most severely impacted. A quarter of its residents were murdered or abducted, and nearly one third of all hostages were taken from here. We were invited by Efrat Machikawa, the spokesperson for hostages with German citizenship, who guided us through her home kibbutz – a place that is difficult to comprehend.

At first glance, Nir Oz appears almost idyllic. Beautiful weather, a green oasis at the edge of the Negev desert, no car roads, and many spaces designed for community and encounter. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast to the extreme destruction brought by the terrorists and their supporters

The houses that are still standing became the most visible witnesses to the brutality of the massacre. On one side, buildings completely burned down and demolished. On the other, homes that seem frozen in time, as if life had been violently interrupted from one moment to the next: toys scattered across the floor, an open bottle of whiskey, a clove of garlic left on the counter, a half-unloaded dishwasher. It is difficult to say which is more disturbing.

Yellow and black flags mark whether residents were abducted or murdered. Each house carries its own story, many of which Efrat shared with us. Some are especially haunting, such as the story of the Bibas family or that of Oded Lifshitz. In his spare time, Oded used to drive sick Gazans from the border to Israeli hospitals. His commitment to peace and coexistence was known to the terrorists. It did not save him. In his memory, his family designed a yellow cactus pin, honoring both Oded and his passion for cacti.

The personal stories we heard from Efrat were among the most moving moments of the day. A large part of her own family was either murdered or taken hostage. Her uncle, Gadi Moses, is the oldest surviving hostage. He was released from Gaza at the age of 80 after 482 days in captivity. During our visit, we had the privilege of briefly meeting him while he was having lunch. His remarkable resilience is evident in the fact that, after nearly a year and a half in captivity, he is already actively committed to rebuilding his home community.

This commitment, however, is not without controversy. In Nir Oz we encountered a profound dilemma. On the one hand, the kibbutz has undeniably become a historic site. In its current state, it conveys the brutality of that day in a powerful and authentic way that could speak to future generations. On the other hand, some former residents wish to return home without living, as they put it, “in an Auschwitz” – surrounded by potentially triggering sights. For this reason, the burned houses are to be demolished. What remembrance of October 7 will ultimately look like in Nir Oz remains an open question.

After this intense experience, we continued to the site of the Nova music festival. The place where the largest number of people were killed, and which gained international attention, felt to us like a vast cemetery. Remembrance here is highly personal. For each victim, their story can be read. Final WhatsApp messages convey the terror of those final moments. Yet the focus of the Nova site is also on life. Red anemones, chosen as a symbol of vitality, express something that words can hardly capture.

Our next stop was the so-called car graveyard, where burned and destroyed vehicles are displayed. What began out of necessity – finding space for approximately 1,560 wrecked cars – has evolved into an organized and curated memorial site. It is a striking example of how a more structured culture of remembrance around October 7 is currently taking shape in Israel.

This development can also be seen at the former police station in Sderot, our final stop of the day. Hamas terrorists had barricaded themselves inside the building. After hours of fighting, it was destroyed, and several police officers were killed. Today, a memorial stands on the site, commemorating the individual victims and the actions of the security forces. Even though – or perhaps precisely because – this exhibition resembles forms of remembrance familiar to us from Germany, it left less of an impression than the still somewhat improvised sites elsewhere, where the shock of the events feels more immediate and raw.

Overall, this journey helped us better understand the collective trauma of October 7 and, through it, Israeli society as a whole.

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Daniel Grützmacher, Merlin Waller
ASF Volunteer Year 2025/26