Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: On October 7, of the almost 1,200 people massacred that day, 364 were at the music festival. No one can say why anyone lost their lives, were brutally tortured and raped, or were abducted by these radical Islamic terrorists that day—it was pure evil—but like me missing Rosh Hashanah years ago, people at Supernova were also misplaced from the holy Shabbat services and the singing and dancing with the Torahs for the holiday. This is a kind of Jewish tragedy.

1. 1/7/24, 10:37 AM My Supernova | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-supernova/ 1/6
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
My Supernova
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2. 1/7/24, 10:37 AM My Supernova | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-supernova/ 2/6
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Years ago, there was a time when I rebelled against religion, Judaism, and G-d. It
was my version of running to the Supernova Music Festival, where I could dance
and party to the music under the desert sky.
I was young, and probably like many others, went through a stage when I
wanted to express my freedom and independence. I started hiking in the
mountains first on Sundays, then expanded it to holidays, and finally even
sometimes on Shabbat. I enjoyed the fitness aspect of it as well as communing
with nature in a beautiful, quiet, and peaceful setting. I got hooked on it like a
drug, on feeling good and getting away from life and its problems.
But I overdid it by going on Shabbat sometimes, and then one year, I even went
on Rosh Hashanah. I knew it was wrong spiritually, even though it felt right
physically. That year, I missed the spiritual high of the worship of Hashem, the
prayer, and hearing the holy blasts of the Shofar, which I had erroneously tried
to replace with the physical high of the mountain run.

3. 1/7/24, 10:37 AM My Supernova | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-supernova/ 3/6
Now, years later, I wonder whether this was perhaps my equivalent of going to
the Supernova Music Festival on Shabbat and Simchat Torah on October 7—
raving, partying, and dancing to the psychedelic trance music instead of
sanctifying the Sabbath and singing and dancing with the Torahs.
In my story, it wasn’t immediate, but it happened later that I ended up losing
both my hips and almost succumbing to an infection. However, only by the grace
of Hashem was I fortunate and given a second chance. I found the errors of my
ways and made my way back to Hashem. I’m still not completely there yet; it’s a
journey, and I believe that I am on the right track now. The Torah, my parents’
voices in my head and heart, and my conscience guide me and I remember
always what happened when I went off track.
On October 7, of the almost 1,200 people massacred that day, 364 were at the
music festival. No one can say why anyone lost their lives, were brutally tortured
and raped, or were abducted by these radical Islamic terrorists that day—it was
pure evil—but like me missing Rosh Hashanah that year, people at Supernova
were also misplaced from the holy Shabbat services and the singing and dancing
with the Torahs for the holiday. This is a kind of Jewish tragedy.
I’m not saying that anybody is “bad” or that everyone who went to the rave at
the Supernova Festival was wrong in doing so. People need to relax, de-stress,
and have some fun too. But also, I think that what happens to some at these
events in terms of the proverbial “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” is not aligned to
the values that we want our children to have and to the Jewish faith that we
hold dear.
We all have our own paths in life, and we are not necessarily meant to serve
Hashem in the same way. But like me losing my hips and almost my life in my
pursuit of what felt good, a lot of beautiful young (and older) people suffered
incredibly, and even more, were brutally murdered or abducted with friends and
family by Hamas terrorists on that fateful day.

4. 1/7/24, 10:37 AM My Supernova | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-supernova/ 4/6
The juxtaposition of people raving in the Negev Desert just 3 miles from Gaza
on Simchat Torah on October 7 reminds me in a sense of the Jews when they left
Egypt and when Moshe went up to bring down the Torah. Instead of singing and
dancing for that momentous event, they were led astray in the Sinai Desert and
built the Golden Calf. The Israelites then too suffered an enormous calamity,
and G-d wanted to destroy them, but Moshe interceded and asked for G-d’s
compassion. In the end, instead of G-d wiping out the Israelites, the Levites
aligned with Hashem and killed 3,000 of them, and the Golden Calf was
consumed in fire.
After the devastating events of October 7, I believe we must face some hard
questions in terms of not only how we let down our security that day in
Southern Israel, but spiritually, how we let 3,000 to 4,000 beautiful Jews end up
at a rave dance party in the Negev Desert and at the murderous hands of hordes
of rampaging Hamas terrorists instead of celebrating our faith and honoring G-d
and the Torah for Shabbat and Simchat Torah in our synagogues.

5. 1/7/24, 10:37 AM My Supernova | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-supernova/ 5/6
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
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6. 1/7/24, 10:37 AM My Supernova | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
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