Natalia Casarotti
Kibbutz Samar, Arava valley
Mother of Keshet Casarotti who was murdered at the Nova music festival
“I was born in Argentina and made Aliyah to Israel when I was four years old with my family out of sheer Zionism. After my military service, I came to Kibbutz Samar, which is located in the Arava Valley in the far south of Israel, where I have lived for the past 30 years
I have three children: Anan (Cloud), Keshet (Rainbow), who will be 21 forever, and Shemesh (Sun). Keshet went to dance at the Nova Music festival on October 7th and never came back.
Keshet was with Shani Louk, Orion Hernandez, and other friends at the party. They tried to escape and in Mefalsim junction, not far from the party, he was trying to call an ambulance for Shani who had suffered severe leg injuries.
The Emergency Call Center assured him that help was on its way, but the ambulance never made it. Tragically, Shani Louk was murdered, and her boyfriend, Orion Hernandez, was kidnapped and later on murdered in Gaza.
Keshet left Shani with her boyfriend, Orion, and got into a different car that was supposed to take him to the hospital, as he too was injured. He entered the car of a fellow partygoer, Motti Zoherman, a 74-year-old who, like Keshet, loved rave parties. They tried to escape, but at 7:16 am, at the Sha’ar HaNegev junction, they were gunned down by a terrorist squad. Five days later, on Wednesday at noon, police officers arrived at our house and informed us that Keshet had been murdered. The following day, on October 12th, we held his funeral. Keshet was laid to rest in the desert, in the same surroundings where he had grown up, with an Orthodox Jewish ceremony.
In the year that has passed, I have woken up every day and chosen to live, one day at a time.
Before October 7th, I was a chef, but since then, I have lost all interest in cooking. After the Sheloshim (the first 30 days of mourning. In Judaism it’s the period of transition between being completely enveloped by sadness and beginning to emerge back into the world.) I was invited by the Israeli MFA to speak in Miami and Mexico about Keshet, which gave me a lot of strength. Later, I was also invited to Los Angeles and San Diego. I am determined to travel to as many places as I can to share the story of my beloved son and to raise awareness about the October 7th massacre.
Meanwhile, In the last year, I started learning Disc jockey as I want to be a DJ. It really makes me happy.
The thing my son loved the most was DANCING. so I’m dancing for him and bringing other people to dance as well.
Music has the power to unite people and heal both the body and the soul.”
#We_will_dance _again