Approximately 150 Pali students took a field trip to the NOVA Exhibit in Culver City on Oct. 11. The trip was funded entirely by the families of students Lily Yadegar and Misha Keyvanfar with the intent of educating students about the events that occurred in Israel a year prior.
Hamas, an Iran-backed terrorist group, bombed the country of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Approximately 240 Israelis were taken hostage and, one year later, about 100 hostages remain captive. Israel continues to fight a war on seven fronts, now including Iran and its proxies Hezbollah and the Houthis.
According to the NOVA exhibit’s website, the showcase aimed to create a “sacred space echoing victims’ and survivors’ memories.” The installation displayed physical remains from the attack, such as burnt car remnants and bullet-ridden porta potties, providing a space for survivors to speak about their experiences. The exhibit opened in mid-August and is expected to close on Nov. 3.
Freshman Imogen Hayes said that she was emotionally touched by the interactive experience.
“Hearing people’s stories really affected me,” she said. “It was impactful to see survivors talk in person, and see their stories on videotape.”
Hayes also shared that the installation prompted many important revelations.
“The exhibit made me realize that society needs to spread love and focus on what different cultures have in common,” she said.
Similarly, Career Technical Education coordinator David Pickard, who chaperoned the field trip, explained that the installation was a powerful experience.
“[The exhibit] was very raw, real, and emotional to me,” Pickard said. “[It] felt more personal as [I] heard the survivors talk and got to touch artifacts collected from the site.”
Pickard said he volunteered to chaperone the field trip to deepen his understanding of the events that took place on Oct. 7.
“When Misha had approached me, I did not want to pass up on this opportunity,” he said. “[I] wanted to educate myself more and support student learning.”
Keyvanfar said she hoped students’ viewpoints were expanded following the exhibit.
“Being with such a diverse group of people, I was able to take away the importance of education and mutual understanding,” she said. “I think it’s important for students to understand the struggles of different communities.”
Keyvanfar explained that experiences like this are vital amidst the biases spread by social media.
“I think that [students] should now be able to see that there is media propaganda, as they saw real footage of what really happened at the exhibit,” she added. “Students should now be open to questioning that not every source is reliable.”
Pickard corroborated Keyvanfar’s sentiment.
“I had some prior knowledge, but in today’s day and age, a lot of what we get is through the media… [and] it is important that as consumers of media we are able to recognize bias to understand what’s going on in the world,” he said.
Keyvanfar expressed that she hopes to plan another trip to the NOVA exhibit before its closing.
“I would most definitely take students back [because] it was a really eye-opening experience that I think all students should see,” she said.
