Surviving October 7: A Nova Festival Hero's Ultimate Sacrifice
Sivan Simcha-Cohen recounts surviving the October 7 Nova festival massacre, where her partner Yaniv Sarodi drove wounded survivors under fire before being killed.
Yaniv Sarodi and Sivan Simcha-Cohen were the power couple of the production world. Yaniv worked as a production assistant, and Sivan worked as a runner, a water girl, and an extra. They met and fell in love on the set of the series "Northern Wind". "The filming took place in high-tech offices, and when I went out to the balcony to smoke, I saw him sitting there," Sivan recalls. "We talked a bit, and after finishing our coffee, a friend suggested going to the music room. We started singing and playing, and Yaniv came after me and filmed me singing. A few months later, he sent me a message."
They became inseparable throughout 2023. Then came October 7. Yaniv and Sivan worked together at the Nova music festival. He was the logistics manager for the security team, which consisted of about 80 guards, and Sivan worked as an operations manager, handling the office, security schedules, work hours, and phones. "We arrived at the area about three days before the Nova. Before that, a Unity party took place there, and we were there together as a couple and a working team, just as we did in many productions," she says.
When the rocket fire began, they helped the wounded in the festival area. Afterward, they fled by car toward the Gaza Division base. There were nine people in the car, and along the way, they encountered four terrorist cells. "I was shot in the leg, and Yaniv was hit by three bullets. Despite his injuries, he didn't stop driving. He fought to save all of us, and in the end, paid for it with his life."
"When we reached the division base, I dragged myself into a room. That was the last time I saw him. He said goodbye to me, telling me that he loved me and that he was sorry. Yaniv saved my life and the lives of six other young people from the festival, yet he told me he was sorry."
Sivan remained alone in the room at the base for ten hours with a fractured leg under heavy fire. After this long wait, soldiers evacuated her, applying a tourniquet to save her life. The early days were a living nightmare filled with confusion, anger, and immense grief over Yaniv, who was supposed to become her husband. She has undergone extensive therapy and participated in healing retreats with the Nova Tribe Community.
Today, three years later, Sivan is trying to rebuild her life, completing her preparatory studies and beginning a degree in psychology. Despite the ongoing trauma, nightmares, and physical rehabilitation, she continues to move forward, honoring the memory of Yaniv and the heroic sacrifice he made to save lives.
