An Israeli music promoter and manager has urged the electronic music community around the world to “show immediate solidarity” for the victims of the Hamas terror attack at the Supernova festival on Saturday.
In the wake of the massacre at the all-night rave in the Negev desert near the Gaza Strip, at which at least 260 people were gunned down by terrorists and many more kidnapped, Guy Dreifuss pleaded with the music community to show support.
The pro-peace rave, marking the end of the Jewish holiday Succot, was attended by music fans from around the world and featured artists including UK DJ Man With No Name, French DJ Aladin and German psy-trance act Protonica.
Dreifuss said that artists should not be afraid of losing fans by speaking out, adding: “This is not a political issue; it's a humanitarian issue.”
Posting on Instagram, he issued an “urgent call” to the international dance music community as well as “all our friends worldwide”.
“Have you seen the videos of the massacre that occurred at the electronic music festival, where 260 people were shot, raped, and burned on the dance floor, with hundreds more wounded?” he asked.
“We need the dance music media to support us,” said Dreifuss.
“We need people from around the world to apply pressure to bring home those who went to dance at a party and are now suffering in a basement in Gaza. Now is the time to raise your voice for us.”
The music promoter said that while Israelis have appreciated the personal support and prayers sent to them, now is the time to take action and raise awareness worldwide: “Please use your social media presence to help us bring our friends back safely, and not in body bags. This is the responsibility of the electronic music community.”
Dreifuss, who is from Tel Aviv, called the failure of many to speak out against the atrocities “hypocrisy”.
“You can not share [anguish over] suffering and human rights if it’s about Israel,” he told the JC.
“As soon as it connects to something that's happened here, a lot of human rights activists and a lot of people with music careers don't want to get involved. But such horrific inhumane events should be condemned by anyone who is against these actions, no matter what their political views are.
"This is not a political thing. It's a brutal terror attack on innocent, unarmed civilians. For everyone who wants to dance and celebrate life, it should be top of the list to go against that.”
He added: “If it happens to us, it can happen to anyone and everywhere. To be silent is to support it. So being silent is not an option.”
Others on social media have also questioned the music community’s lack of response to the terror attacks: "So many international young lives were massacred at the music festival in Israel it would be nice to have the music community come out in force to denounce Hamas and demand the hostages back” said one one X/Twitter user.
Some artists have voiced there support, however. They include Canadian star Justin Bieber, who posted online that he was "praying for Israel", German DJ Sven Vath and American pop-rock band OneRepublic.
The last of these released a statement, which said: "The terror unfolding over the last few days in Israel has left us crushed and heartbroken. The magnitude of such devastation and senselessness is incomprehensible. The mind isn’t equipped to process this kind of evil. The things being done are horrific.
"They are sickening and savage and they are being celebrated. Let’s be perfectly clear, this is terrorism. We as a band could never condone what was done to those innocent people. Our hearts are with the victims and the countless lives shattered by this nightmare.”
U2 frontman Bono also offered his condolences during a Las Vegas show on Sunday night, telling the crowd: “We sing for our brothers and sisters, who... themselves were singing at the Supernova Succot festival in Israel.
"We sing for those. Our people. Our kind of people. Music people, playful, experimental people. Our kind of people. We sing for them.”
The musician then led the crowd in singing along together in an emotional moment at the show which is centred on the group’s 1991 album Achtung Baby.
The Irish rock band also dedicated a song to the hundreds of young victims murdered by Hamas at the festival, changing the lyrics of Pride (In the Name of Love) to: "Early morning/ Oct 7/ As the sun is rising/ The desert sky/ Stars of David/ They took your life/ But they could not take your pride."
