Survivor of terrorist attack at Israeli music festival shares story at Las Vegas synagogue

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Shye Weinstein bought a last-minute ticket to the outdoor Nova Music Festival in Israel looking forward to a day of music, fun, and friends. And it was everything he expected until rockets began firing. Then it became something entirely different.

“It was thousands of rockets,” Weinstein said. “Rockets from both Gaza and the Iron Dome hitting each other above our heads.”

Weinstein, 26, who lives in Tel Aviv, described his experience during the surprise, violent Hamas attack on Oct. 7 to hundreds gathered at the Temple Beth Sholom in Summerlin Tuesday night. Weinstein shared his story of surviving the massacre. He used photos and videos taken over the course of that day to help tell his story and what he witnessed.

Though the sounds and sights of the rockets rattled him, many of the other attendees and his own companions were desensitized to the scene. But it all changed and chaos ensued when the gunfire started and people began fleeing.

“The whole ordeal; I think we are going to die,” Weinstein recalled. “We are passing bodies, abandoned cars riddled with bullets. We are lost in a field at one point. We passed armed men on the way home, more bodies at checkpoints, and given everything we went through and saw we were able to get home safely.”

Though they saw the aftermath and several bodies, he said he was thankful that the only thing they didn’t witness was people killed in front of their eyes. 

Rabbi Felipe Goodman had an inspiring message. “These brutal enemies will not put us down,” he said as he encouraged people to live and concentrate on unity.

“Me being here makes a difference to understand the world is behind him [Weinstein], that Hamas is a terrorist organization, and we are behind him as people,” attendee Sheryl Honig said. 

Weinstein, still shocked that such a fun event ended in tragedy, said these types of events leave lasting impacts, but that sharing his story helps.  

More than 360 people were killed at the festival and dozens were taken hostage.