The Jewish community in Mendoza, Argentina, is working together with the local branch of the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) in the country to establish a forest in memory of those murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
The project was launched as a tribute to those killed at the Nova music festival and is intended to transform remembrance into a symbol of life and continuity for the community.
Tree planting has already begun near the city, and the site, which will also include a memorial for the victims, is expected to be inaugurated in October 2026.
KKL-JNF in Argentina is leading the forest planting effort, with support from the Mendoza municipality, the local Jewish community and the Israeli consulate in the city. It also continues the organization’s parallel work in Israel at the original festival site memorial area.
The memorial complex in Mendoza will be the first site of its kind that the organization establishes outside of Israel.
“This [October 7 massacre] was a crime against a celebration of life,” said KKL-JNF Argentina President Jessica Soos. “The Nova festival was a music event that brought together thousands of young people from around the world in southern Israel."
"It represented universal values of music, freedom, equality, and the joy of being together. The impact of this tragedy has moved many communities around the world.”
The memorial forest will consist of hundreds of trees, reflecting the number of those murdered in the attack. It is also intended to serve as a bridge between people, expressed through a universal language.
Tree species were carefully selected for meaning, suitability
The selection of tree species was made carefully based on both environmental suitability and symbolic meaning.
According to the project description, each tree contributes a distinct meaning, creating a living landscape in which nature and memory are intertwined. It further notes that through color, form, and seasonal cycles, the forest expresses ideas of life, resilience, transformation, and continuity.
“Each name is a story, behind each tree there is a life and a story that deserves to be told,” the explanatory text states.
The trees will be planted in varied geometric patterns to allow winding and irregular movement between them, underscoring the individuality of each element.
The forest will include a range of species, including trees common in the Americas such as lapacho, with pink blossoms, jacaranda with purple flowers, olive, cypress, liquidambar, palo borracho, acacia, maple, and wild cherry (prunus avium).
Some are fruit-bearing, while others were selected for their flowering or growth characteristics. Each cluster will feature a different species.
Mendoza was 'deliberately chosen' by KKL-JNF
KKL-JNF in Argentina said the choice of Mendoza as the first location outside Israel for a memorial to the Nova victims was deliberate.
“Its environmental tradition, its landscape, and its historical connection to forestry make this city a symbolic place for this project," said Soos. "The forest is seen as a legacy that goes beyond the present and connects Argentina to an international network of living memory."
"Its forests are a symbol of life, continuity, and hope."