UA student groups hosted remembrance events on and ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, where Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups crossed into Israel and killed around 1,200 people, most of whom were civilians, and took 250 hostage. Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip has since killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians.
Bama Hillel, the Jewish Student Center at the University, organized a Yellow Ribbon Run on Oct. 6 in support of the victims and remaining hostages from the Oct. 7 attacks.
“Today is about grief and remembrance, and hopefully an opportunity for those who are hurting to come together,” Lisa Besnoy, the executive director of Bama Hillel, said of the run.
The Yellow Ribbon Run went from Denny Chimes to the Hillel Center located on 9th street.
Sarah Wilk, a junior majoring in creative media, said that while other chapters of the organization have hosted similar remembrance campaigns across the country, which have been called “Run for Their Lives,” the Yellow Ribbon Run was the first Oct. 7 remembrance event at The University of Alabama.
Organizers passed out shirts before the run, and Emily Appeal, a marketing intern at Hillel, gave a brief speech honoring the victims of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the hostages that remain in captivity.
The UA chapter of Young Americans for Freedom also organized a separate, unrelated vigil and prayer ceremony honoring the victims of the Oct. 7 attacks. The ceremony took place on the Quad Monday.
Other chapters of YAF organized similar vigils at their respective universities.
The group stated that it intended on keeping the vigil separate from the Yellow Ribbon Run so as to not interfere with Hillel.
“This is the first event hosted by YAF at UA that’s in support of Israel,” said Trenton Buffenbarger, president of YAF. “I’ve talked to a few people today while tabling on the Quad who were all personally affected by the attacks and appreciated our support.”
“I would say that every Jewish student has been affected by October 7,” said Sarah Wilk, a junior majoring in creative media who served as a representative for Bama Hillel. “Jews are 0.2% of the world’s population, so it’s very common for Jews in Israel to have family friends in America. It’s really not that hard for Jewish students to have some sort of connection to the American hostages.”
Besnoy stated her gratitude for the University’s acceptance of the Jewish student population.
“We’re just lucky to have the support that we have here,” Besnoy said. “The University administration and the student body as a whole, whether or not they agree with what is happening, are very supportive of the Jewish community.”
