The father of a young woman who was killed during Hamas' deadly attack on the Nova music festival in Israel has died by suicide after struggling with his grief. Vladislav Bongart ended his own life in late February after facing difficulties trying to rebuild with his family, his wife told local media after finding his body at their home in Karmiel.
His daughter, Sofia, was one of 364 people killed in the October 7, 2023, massacre on the trance music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, where armed attackers stormed the event, opened fire, and took 40 more people hostages. Sofia was killed while trying to flee the festival after the attack.
Sad End
Sofia, 21, and her childhood best friend, Liraz Nissan, 20, had considered different parties before buying tickets "at the last minute," her mother, Anna, told The Jerusalem Post. Liraz was killed when the Hamas-led attackers threw grenades into the bomb shelter where they were hiding and then opened fire, according to The Times of Israel.
Sofia managed to survive for several hours but was killed as she stepped out of the shelter in an attempt to escape.
Since her death, Vladislav Bongart visited his daughter's white grave twice a week, placing red roses as she had once requested. However, at work, he never spoke about his grief and declined any offers of support, his widow shared.
Anna, who had moved to Israel with Vladislav from Ukraine, said he remained emotionally trapped in the horror of the massacre, carrying a deep sense of guilt for not being able to save his daughter as they learned of Hamas' surprise attack.
"He was not treated on a mental level because he did not think it would help him," she said. "He wanted to overcome it himself and couldn't. The pain was too great."
Vladislav is survived by his wife, Anna, and their younger daughter, Evelina. Anna Bongart said she found her husband on February 21 after he failed to answer her calls.
"I went up to the house, opened the door and realized what had happened," she told local media.
"I thought he must have been asleep on a Friday afternoon, but this is the second time life has knocked me down."
Double Tragedy for Wife
She shared that her husband had been struggling with depression since the October 7 attack, but she "never imagined" he would take his own life. "I keep thinking about what would have happened if he had agreed to treatment because the treatment helped me and my little 13-year-old daughter," she told Mako.
Vladislav, Anna, and Sofia relocated to Israel from Ukraine in 2006 when Sofia was just four years old. Vladislav was employed in production at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, an Israeli defense technology company.
Sofia grew up in Israel and fulfilled her mandatory military service, completing it in December 2022 after joining the IDF following her graduation from Ort Psagot High School.
According to The Jerusalem Post, her former middle school teacher, Adi Alon, described her as a "quiet and well-mannered girl."
Sofia and her childhood friend, Liraz, left home at 3 a.m. on October 7, making their way to the festival site. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, her mother described Sofia as a "mature and responsible girl" and said her only worry was ensuring she stayed safe while traveling on the road.
Sofia messaged her mother at 6 a.m. to confirm she had arrived safely.
The first sirens rang out shortly after sunrise. Many festival attendees initially mistook the sounds for planned fireworks as Hamas-led forces launched their assault on southern Israel.
As gunmen stormed the festival and began firing indiscriminately at the crowd, Sofia and Liraz tried to flee.
The last message Anna and Vladislav received from their daughter was around 8 a.m., in which she told them she loved them and felt blessed to have them as parents, Anna told Maariv. After escaping the festival grounds, 16 people took shelter in a small concrete bunker, having been warned it was too dangerous to continue toward Kibbutz Be'eri.
Armed attackers located the bunker, firing into it and hurling grenades inside. Liraz was fatally wounded around 9 a.m.
At 11:30 a.m., Sofia made a desperate attempt to escape but was shot as she stepped outside.
She was laid to rest near her home in Karmiel on October 10, 2023.
