Israel's new ambassador to Greece embraced the mother of a 23-year-old Greek-Israeli woman killed by Hamas at the Nova music festival, in an emotional moment at a memorial event in Athens this week.
Ambassador Pninat Yanai arrived at the Jewish School in the Palaio Psychiko neighborhood directly after visiting Thessaloniki's Jewish Museum and a Holocaust museum under construction, and embraced the mother of Eden Ben Rubi before addressing the gathering, known as the "After Eden Festival."
Ben Rubi was born in Thessaloniki, raised in Israel, and maintained close ties to Greece, attending a Greek summer camp for a decade and visiting nearly every year.
She was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked the festival.
Ms. Yanai described Ben Rubi as someone who dreamed of marriage, children and more time in Greece, saying "Oct. 7 must not be the last chapter in Eden's story." She called the attack a collective trauma for Israelis and Jewish communities worldwide.
Ben Rubi's grandmother, Vanda, said she had been the last person to speak with her granddaughter before she was killed.
Ben Rubi's mother described her daughter as full of life, someone who loved Greece and dreamed of dancing, traveling and starting a family.
The event also featured testimony from Eitan Halevi, 31, of Tel Aviv, who survived the attack.
He said he fled with 26 others to a shelter that soon came under attack; only 10 of the 27 people there survived.
Mr. Halevi has since shared his story publicly, including in a documentary.
By Vassilis Goulas