As the world commemorates the painful first anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attack in Israel, second and third year Law students had the opportunity to meet with two young women from Israel who miraculously survived that horrific day.

Maya Parizer, a 27-year-old computer specialist, and Raz Shifer, a 28-year-old actress and artist, were attending the Nova music festival that morning, held just a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip border. What was meant to be a celebration of freedom and music turned into horror when, at 6:29 a.m., Hamas terrorists stormed the festival grounds, initiating a bloody attack that spread across southern Israel. Over 1,200 people were killed that day, with more than 360 victims perishing at the Nova festival – a place where joy and freedom were tragically replaced by chaos and sorrow.

During the meeting, Maya and Raz openly and sincerely shared their experiences, revealing to the students not only the physical terror they endured but also the emotional trauma that left deep scars. Maya recounted how she managed to escape with her husband and two friends, despite being under constant gunfire from the terrorists. Raz shared an even more harrowing story – several of her close friends were killed, and two others remain hostages in Gaza.

Both women emphasized that their primary goal today is to remind the world about about nearly one hundred hostages and the urgent need to ensure the safety of the Israeli people. They are convinced that it is crucial not to allow these horrific events to be silenced, and therefore, they travel the world sharing their stories to ensure the truth of this tragedy is not overlooked.

The meeting was moderated by Virgis Valentinavičius, a lecturer at the Institute of Communication, and Ana Maizel, a staff member at the Israeli Embassy, who helped structure the discussion and provided the necessary context for participants to better understand the global significance of these experiences.