Survival and Strength

Nova Festival Survivor Shares His Story

“I ran for 4 hours straight hours—around 12 miles,” 28-year-old Nova Festival survivor Sagi Gabay told a sold-out audience on October 10th at the Jewish Federation of Tulsa’s community-wide commemoration marking one year since Hamas unleashed a vicious attack on Israel killing nearly 1,200 innocent civilians and taking over 250 hostages.

Jewish, non-Jewish, elected officials and interfaith leaders gathered in the Barbara and Dave Sylvan Auditorium on the Zarrow Campus to listen to Sagi’s terrifying first-hand account of the minute-by-minute actions he took to save the lives of himself and his former girlfriend. In attendance were Representative JoAnna Dossett, Representative Suzanne Schreiber, and Representative John Waldron, city councilor Jayme Fowler, mayoral candidate Monroe Nichols, as well as agents on behalf of Senator James Lankford, Representative Kevin Hearn, and Representative Melissa Provenzano.

Before Sagi’s talk, guests were served light snacks while perusing a panel display showing how the events of October 7 affected everyday Israeli citizens. From a farmer showing the destruction of his crops to a special needs school teacher continuing to ensure stability in the lives of her students, everyone was affected. Not only in Israel…but here in Tulsa as well.

Solidarity With the Jewish People

The program began with the reading of Governor Kevin Stitt’s proclamation asserting, “There is no place for hatred in the State of Oklahoma, Israel, the United States, or anywhere else in the world.” It continued with, “The State of Oklahoma stands in solidarity with the Jewish people, the people of Israel, and our Jewish friends in Oklahoma.”

Sagis Story

Guest speaker Sagi Gabay, of Moroccan-Israeli descent, took the stage captivating the audience with his personal story of survival. “When I arrived at the festival the atmosphere was amazing… it was a special vibe…everyone was smiling and having fun. Around 6:30 am I went outside and saw one of the most beautiful sunrises I had ever seen in my life. Then I began to see things popping in the sky. After a few moments, I realized it was bad and as my friends were deciding what to do, I felt the need to leave immediately.”

Sagi continued, “I grabbed my ex-girlfriend Maya and we got in my car. As we were exiting, a car came towards us, it was full of bullets. We stopped our car in the middle of the road, near a shelter, and we ran into the shelter. It was already full with about 40 people. But something inside of me said not to stay here. My mind shut off and I started acting with my gut. This decision saved our lives, as soon as we left the shelter, the terrorists came and killed everyone hiding there.”

Sagi and Maya were among the festival goers who ran for their lives—through the open fields—terrified and not knowing where to go. “The sand was jumping…it took a while to realize this was from the bullets aimed at us,” explained Sagi. Many were shot and killed in the open fields. Sagi and Maya were among the lucky ones. Later, Sagi learned he had lost five friends that day.

“It was a very thought-provoking, disturbing presentation, very well organized and a heartfelt first-hand account of the atrocities Jewish people have to endure,” stated attendee Christine Miller.

Sagi’s story, among countless other survivors, deserves to be told. He doesn’t want people to feel sorry for him. He wants his story to be told, for people to understand the horrors of hate and terrorism, and to stop the spread of misinformation and denial. He urges listeners to continue to speak up to bring the hostages home and eliminate the terror that threatens the State of Israel.

One year later Sagi stated, “I am not the same Sagi. I learned the only certainty in life is the uncertainty. I am very grateful to be alive, but my heart will never be whole again.”

Jewish Federation of Tulsa

Founded in 1938, the mission of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa is to preserve and enhance Jewish life and well-being in Eastern Oklahoma, Israel, and the entire world. This mission is being addressed by pursuing charitable, humanitarian, cultural, educational, health, and social service needs of the Jewish community as well as engaging in community relations and outreach and providing a variety of services to the broader Tulsa community.