At reopened Nahal Oz pub, Israeli musician closes circle begun after October 7

When musician Elai Botner performed at Kibbutz Nahal Oz on the eve of the Shavuot holiday on May 21, he was completing a circle begun just days after the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught.

As it marked the Jewish agricultural festival, the kibbutz was also celebrating its return home after its members were evacuated from Nahal Oz following October 7. At the kibbutz’s renovated pub, Botner performed his new song, “Chag Hameshek” (“Farm Holiday”), surrounded by kibbutz members and his backup singers.

Like so many other Israeli entertainers, Botner, known for his guitar playing and folk-rock style, backed by a team of emerging artists known as the New Kids, has spent much of the last two and a half years performing for soldiers, bereaved families, survivors, and anyone who needed the lift that comes from hearing live music.

At some point, Botner, who grew up on Kibbutz Ein Carmel and felt a strong affinity to all those from the Gaza envelope kibbutzim, sat down to write “Chag Hamashek.”

The song was the first he had written after the massacre in which invading terrorists killed some 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages to Gaza.

“It turns out that when ‘Chag Hameshek’ came out on the radio, people from Nahal Oz heard it and felt like it was written for them,” Botner told The Times of Israel.

The song is written from the viewpoint of a boy growing up on a kibbutz, impatiently awaiting the annual community celebration — Chag Hameshek, marking the establishment of the kibbutz — but a war begins the next day.

That was the situation for Kibbutz Nahal Oz, which was set to mark its 70th anniversary on the day of the assault.

Instead, over 180 terrorists swarmed into the unsuspecting Gaza border community in three waves, murdering and abducting residents.

In all, 15 residents were killed in Nahal Oz on October 7.

Eight people were taken hostage, including Natalie and Yehudit Raanan, two American visitors to the kibbutz who were released two weeks later, and Ela and Dapne Elyakim, 8 and 15, who were released in November 2023. Their father, Noam Elyakim, his girlfriend, Dikla Arava, and her son, Tomer Eliaz, 17, were all killed after Hamas terrorists livestreamed the family’s abduction.

Kibbutz member Elma Avrham, 84, was also taken hostage and released in November 2023.

Omri Miran, Tsahi Idan and Joshua Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural volunteer, were all taken hostage.

Miran was released in October 2025, Idan was murdered in captivity and Mollel was killed during the attack, his body taken hostage; the bodies of Idan and Mollel were eventually returned to Israel last year.

On October 17, 2023, Botner went to perform in the pub of Mishmar Haemek, a kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley that was housing the Nahal Oz residents, after they were evacuated from their kibbutz.

“I was there with a guitar, and it was just 10 days after October 7,” said Botner. “I didn’t know what kinds of songs I was allowed to sing, whether they wanted to cry or be happy.”

He recalled that day in the Mishmar Haemek pub and the silence in the room when he walked in, as they set up rows of chairs for the audience.

As he and his backup singers began performing, more people came in and sat down, apologizing for the disturbance.

“They would say, ‘We just came from a funeral, or two or three, or a shiva,’” said Botner. “We met so much pain there, we talked to them afterwards, and the attack had happened to them, not their families or friends, they weren’t secondary sources.”

That time spent with the Nahal Oz members stayed with Botner.

Months later, Botner was looking over his upcoming performance calendar and saw he was scheduled for a show at Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

“I stopped and asked about it, because I wanted to understand how Nahal Oz wanted me to perform at the kibbutz,” said Botner.

The kibbutz was planning to celebrate its rebuilding and the renovation of its community pub, HaTzrif (The Shack), which is now dedicated to the memory of Sgt. First Class Tal Lahat, who fought in the kibbutz during the October 7 attack and was killed in the ensuing Gaza war in July 2024.

The pub has undergone two renovations since kibbutz members started returning in 2024, according to the community.

The restoration was carried out with the help of German and Dutch volunteers and funding from the Bazan petrochemical company, which has taken the community under its wing following October 7.

Botner said he and his band were welcomed with warmth and emotion during the Shavuot celebration at the pub.

“There were all the elements of a kibbutz pub that I know so well, the plastic Keter chairs, the kibbutz vibe,” he said.

In the middle of the show, as everyone was dancing and partying, he stopped them for a moment, telling them he wasn’t stopping the party but wanted to talk about the connection he felt with them.

“There were a lot of tears and a very intense moment,” he said. “And then we went on with the party.”