The Nova festival massacre in Reims on October 7th has seen numerous reports claim that Hamas terrorists indiscriminately killed, seriously injured, and kidnapped hundreds of partygoers.
Along with descriptions of the cruel events that occurred on Simchat Torah, there were also stories of survival, strength, and cunning that helped many escape death and devastation.
One is the story of world champion Israeli Jiu-Jitsu practitioner Yarin Shuriki, 23, who recently topped the podium at the Paris Grand Prix and won gold in the under-69kg category. This is the third award in the GI category.
A multi-medal winner and one of Israel's rising martial arts stars, Shuriki is the first Sabra to win a gold medal at the European Championships and is also a four-time Israeli Champion by the country's famous Eyelet Sports Association. .
“The only thing that was lucky for me that day was my love for sports,” he said. “The sport of Jiu-Jitsu saved my life.'' Shuriki, who has dedicated his life to Jiu-Jitsu and has always taken good care of himself, was never one to go out to parties or festivals. But after a complicated operation, he lay in bed for some time.
Once he recovered, his brothers Idan and Sharon insisted he go outside for a bit to get some fresh air and have a little fun. They were eventually able to convince him to go with them to the Nova Music Festival on the condition that he drive his own car to the Gaza border area so they could leave at any time.
Shuriki and his brother were in a close group with five local friends during an all-night music festival when rockets and drones began raining down on the party around 6:30 a.m.
Stay calm even when attacked
As chaos erupts, Shuriki, who, unlike many partygoers, was not under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, quickly realizes what is happening and realizes that they are under attack. I was able to focus the group's attention on understanding.
He took the lead to keep their group from starting to get out of control. While staying in one place, they took stock of their surroundings and tried to figure out how best to escape and deal with the tense situation. Thanks to his Jiu-Jitsu training and discipline, Shuriki was able to save the lives of his brother and one of his friends.
Sadly, most of the people who were around during the festival panicked and ran away, encountering Hamas terrorists.
Some time passed and the area they were in became somewhat quiet and the group started heading towards the car, but Shuriki could tell that the terrorists were just waiting for everyone to rush straight into their trap. So I decided they should. Please wait more.
However, more shots were fired into the parking lot, forcing the brothers and the rest of the group to disperse. At that intense moment when he was under attack from a massive explosion, Shuriki decided it was the right time to start driving. He drove through potato fields to Kibbutz Tselim, about 40 kilometers away. From the party.
Shuriki remained there with one friend. Thanks to their trained calm and patience, his brothers were able to wait for the right moment to escape the carnage, jump into a car and return to their family home in Netanya.
After spending a few hours at the kibbutz, Shuriki was finally able to return home at 10 p.m. and found his entire family gathered together. They cried together as they recounted their escape.
As the days passed, Shuriki continued to wonder why she survived while others did not. He went to the festival with eight people, but only four survived. He repeatedly said that his only good fortune was sports and that was how he was able to stay alive. Sports shaped him and as an athlete he never allowed himself to be influenced by his surroundings. He quickly understood what was going on and acted appropriately under pressure.
Shuriki returned to training about six weeks after the massacre, wanting to return to competition for the sake of his friends who were killed and taken hostage. He tried his best to show he was all business, but there were definitely psychological influences still at work.
As he prepared before each battle, he looked up to the sky and spoke to his best friend Yochai, who had been killed on Nova, for strength to fight to the best of his ability.
Shuriki won the gold medal.
Taking to the podium, he dedicated the championship to his late friends Yochai Ben Zakaria and Osher Simcha Barzilai. Hatikvah A musical performance was performed and the Israeli flag was raised high.
