It feels like the horror of October 7 will never end, particularly for those who escaped the massacres. On Sunday night, it was reported that Nova survivor Shirel Golan had taken her own life. Her family said that Shirel was found on her 22nd birthday, having suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder since escaping the terror attack.

I read the news with tears in my eyes, my heart breaking for her, for her family and for all the victims.

I had just returned from Dance for Israel, organised by JNF UK to raise funds for Israeli non-profit organisation SafeHeart, which is carrying out vital work to help treat PTSD and facilitate healing for Nova survivors.

It wasn’t the first emotional moment of the evening. Earlier, we had watched a video showing how Rita Yadid, who had been helped by therapy arranged by SafeHeart, had thought she would never dance again after the trauma of witnessing the violence at the festival. Speaking from the Nova memorial site, she told us how therapy had started the healing process of the deep psychological wounds she had suffered. By Purim, she was able to bring herself to dance again. At the same time, she was learning to manage her PTSD.

Victoria Prever and her daughter, Kitty at JNF UK's Dance for Israel (Photo: Sharon Green Photographic)

So, it felt fitting then that I and around 600 other Lycra-clad ladies (plus a handful of brave men) were dancing at a JNF UK-organised event to raise funds for SafeHeart’s work.

Four hundred of us filled the main hall at JFS, while another 200 would-be dancers were gathered at Tel Aviv’s Abraham Hostel. We were connected by huge screens but also by the collective need to do something to help.

Rachel Riley leads JNF UK's Dance for Israel in London (Photo: Sharon Green Photographic)

The event was the brainchild of JNF UK project funding manager Dana Zohar, who welcomed us and told us that one of their colleagues, Sagui Dekel-Chen, remains a hostage in Gaza, having been abducted from Kibbutz Nir-Oz. So, for the JNF UK team, this was deeply personal. Zohar introduced our hosts, Countdown presenter and antisemitism campaigner Rachel Riley in London, and former Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy in Tel Aviv. With Riley’s Strictly Come Dancing experience, we were expecting some serious moves from her.

Levy told us all: “The survivors have pledged: ‘We will dance again’, and that is why we are here, to show solidarity and to support them.”

JNF UK's Dance for Israel event, which had a link-up between London and Tel Aviv, where Eylon Levy was the host (Photo: Dana Bar Siman Tov Photography)

With whoops and cheers, we began a sweaty 75-minutes of aerobic activity led by Zumba instructors Osher Cohen in Tel Aviv, and, in London, the fabulous Fredy Montero.

The packed room danced their socks off for Israel until the final and hugely pertinent song, Eden Golan’s October Rain.

Afterwards Riley said: “It’s been incredibly hard listening to the stories from the Nova festival, and although we can’t bring back people who were killed that day, we certainly can help those who survived to rebuild their lives. For a group whose motto is ‘We will dance again’, it was particularly meaningful and so much fun trying to keep up with the brilliant Zumba instructors as our way to show solidarity with them.”

Eylon Levy in Tel Aviv, leading JNF UK's Dance For Israel (Dana Bar Siman Tov Photography)

Afterwards, Zohar said: “As a passionate Zumba lover, I knew that dance could be a powerful way to bring people together during such a difficult time. Since the devastating events of October 7, JNF UK has been committed to supporting the rebuilding and healing of Israel, and SafeHeart is just one of the amazing organisations we are proud to partner with in this mission.

JNF UK team at Dance For Israel (Photo: Sharon Green Photographic)

“The message ‘We will dance again’ deeply resonated with me. It symbolises Israel’s resilience in the face of adversity. [We wanted to] unite people through dance to raise essential funds for those Nova Festival survivors,who simply wanted to dance on that fateful day.”

​The JC was the media partner for JNF UK’s Dance for Israel