'I couldn’t just sit and do nothing': Boy George joins Nova survivors at massacre site

Boy George and Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress Israel, held a press conference at the Nova Festival Memorial Site today, following a private tour of the site with Nova survivors, former hostages, representatives of the Tribe of Nova Community Association and bereaved families, and members of Boy George’s management team. Boy George and Adams joined the Nova community to remember those murdered on October 7 and support survivors and families rebuilding their lives after the massacre.

The visit brought Boy George to the site of the attack that inspired “We Will Dance Again," the song Boy George wrote after encountering survivors’ and families’ stories at the Nova 06:29 exhibition in London. It came ahead of two Tel Aviv concerts, including a November 7 performance dedicated to the Nova community, with 1,500 tickets donated for survivors and bereaved families. Nova survivor and former hostage Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted from the festival and held in Gaza for 505 days, moderated the gathering and press conference.

Nova festival co-founders and community representatives also took part. Boy George said: “I saw what happened on October 7, and it horrified me. What horrified me more was hearing people who had no connection to what happened telling me it wasn’t true, that it was made up. I was getting messages from Jewish friends in London saying they didn’t feel safe, that they felt uncomfortable wearing their Star of David. My Jewish friends are my family, and you protect your own family.

I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. Writing ‘We Will Dance Again’ wasn’t about making my career better. It was about what I felt deeply inside. For me, the most important line is: ‘If you’re ever confused, I stand with the Jews.’ I feel odd being thanked for doing what’s just normal. Music should make people feel safe, celebrated, and like they belong. That’s the music I want to make." Sylvan Adams, President of the World Jewish Congress Israel, said: “As the son of Holocaust survivors, I grew up with the words Never Again.

I never imagined that, in my lifetime, we would once again witness the mass murder of Jews simply because they were Jews. October 7 reminded us that Never Again cannot simply be a slogan. It must be a commitment. At a time when too many international artists have chosen to boycott Israel or remain silent in the face of antisemitism, you chose to come. You used your voice and your international platform to stand with the Jewish people, despite the threats and boycotts.

That takes courage. And moral clarity. “You have spent your career celebrating individuality, freedom, and the right of every person to be themselves. These are values we share, and precisely the values the terrorists who attacked this festival sought to destroy. Your concert in Tel Aviv on November 7, dedicated to the Nova community, is much more than a performance. When you take the stage, it will be a declaration that terror will never have the final word."

On October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorists attacked the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im in southern Israel, where thousands had gathered to dance and listen to music. More than 360 people were murdered and dozens were kidnapped into Gaza. The site has since become a place of remembrance, with memorials bearing the names and photographs of those killed. Boy George’s connection to the community began in London, where the exhibition’s testimonies and encounters with survivors and bereaved families prompted Boy George to speak out.

As a singer and DJ who has spent decades performing for audiences brought together by music, Boy George recognised the world the festivalgoers had come to enjoy. “We Will Dance Again," released earlier this year, expressed solidarity with the Jewish people and honoured those murdered at Nova. Boy George and Sylvan Adams at Nova site Alon Levin Boy George and Sylvan Adams at Nova site Alon Levin Boy George and Sylvan Adams at Nova site Alon Levin The Culture Club frontman, known internationally for hits including “Karma Chameleon" and “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me," is visiting Israel at Adams’ invitation, with Adams serving as Boy George’s official host.

Boy George will perform at Tel Aviv’s Menora Mivtachim Arena on November 4 and November 7, in concerts produced by Live Nation Israel. The first concert has sold out; at Boy George’s request, the second is dedicated to the Nova community and their families under the banner “We Will Dance Again." Adams, in partnership with the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem, donated 1,500 tickets for the November 7 concert. The tickets were transferred to the Tribe of Nova Community Association for distribution to survivors and bereaved families.

Adams has spent much of the past decade bringing international sporting and cultural events to Israel, seeking to connect international audiences with the country and its people. Boy George’s visit in Israel continues that work. The Re’im visit followed meetings and visits in Jerusalem on November 2. Accompanied by Adams, Boy George visited the Western Wall and prayed for peace, met President Isaac Herzog and First Lady Michal Herzog alongside former hostage Elkana Bohbot, and toured the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem’s “06:29 - From Darkness to Light" exhibition.