University student organizations Students Supporting Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine held separate vigils on the Quad Monday night to honor the victims in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and the Palestinian lives lost in Gaza since, respectively.
Both groups led prayers and chants and laid candles for victims of the Oct. 7 attacks or the ensuing war. SJP also displayed images and the names of the victims in Palestine.
Two years ago, Hamas-led militants launched an attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. Israel’s military response has since resulted in over 67,000 Palestinian deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
“This is to mourn the amount of people that have been killed and the ongoing genocide,” said Brandon Smith, a senior majoring in secondary education, during the SJP vigil. “We’re saying names, and we’re mourning the people that have passed, because they did not deserve to die in this way.”
Though the SPJ vigil focused on Palestinian victims of the war, Smith said the organization was also mourning Israeli victims.
Richard Walsh, a freshman majoring in chemical engineering, said he feels “very strongly about” the ongoing conflict, and that it makes him “feel good” to see that there are “people who still care” about Palestine at the University.
“I feel like the overwhelming sentiment is that we’re just resigned to our faith, when you think of just political quagmires where there’s no resolution possible, and so this is good to see that there are people who want to make a difference and still care,” Walsh said.
Rick Rosenthal, vice president and co-founder of Students Supporting Israel, said the organization’s vigil for Oct. 7 victims was meant to give students a space to reflect two years after the attacks.
“We’re here to remember and grieve what happened, and there are still hostages being held captive in Gaza,” he said. “I think it’s very important for young people in the world to understand what’s correctly happening in the world.”
Rosenthal said he believes polarization and misinformation have made it harder for students to fully grasp the events of Oct. 7, with some aligning with sides without understanding the full context, leading to a “huge rise” of anti-Israel ideas, anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism.
“Our support for Israel is of the utmost importance,” he said. “I think that our support for Israel is a major reason why Israel remains to be a state.”
Alex House, associate director of communications for the University, said that the University “is committed to free and open inquiry and expression for members of the campus community.”
The vigils came as President Donald Trump unveiled a 20-point plan last week to end the war, which Israel has agreed to. Hamas has accepted some, but not all, parts of the plan.
Trump administration officials are meeting this week with delegations from Hamas and Israel in Egypt to negotiate details of the plan.
