Student Leaders speak to assembled students (Stephanie Chen | Student Life)

Roughly 800 Washington University students and community members gathered for a candlelight vigil organized by multiple Jewish student organizations to honor those who lost their lives in the latest Israel-Hamas War over the past week, Oct. 12. 

The audience included students from a variety of backgrounds, although most were Jewish, who came to express support and care for each other, as well as the nearly 1,300 people in Israel who have been killed in the attacks. It was the largest gathering in response to current events on-campus this year.

Junior Elliana Makovsky, Social Chair for the Jewish Student Association, began by talking about the impact that hearing about the loss of life over the past week has had on her. 

“The past few days, I’ve been sitting in classes feeling so guilty. Why do I get to go about my normal day when my closest friends and family are fighting on the frontlines of this war?” Makovsky said. 

She went on to say that she believes the nation of Israel will survive no matter what, but that whatever the end result is, it will not be a victory. 

“There have been devastating losses on both sides of this war,” Makovsky said. “No matter what the outcome is, there will be no celebration.” 

Makovsky ended by saying that she is proud of her loved ones in Israel. 

“I am so incredibly proud of my friends and family who are over there, whose lives will never be the same after all of this,” Makovsky said.

Student holds their Star of David necklace (Stephanie Chen | StudentLife)

Junior Zev Kupferman spoke about turning his phone on Saturday, Oct. 7 before Simchat Torah, a Jewish celebratory holiday, to confirm the whereabouts of his close friends who are serving in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), as well as his twin sister. 

“It’s a scary time, but [my friends’] messages are so powerful,” Kupferman said. “They are strong, confident, and truly inspiring, and they are doing whatever is needed to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people, the state of Israel, and all of her inhabitants.”

He asked the audience to take lessons from his loved ones in Israel to stand together and check in on their Jewish friends. 

“We will gather our energy, push all of our college deadlines and assignments aside for the next hour, and sing and talk and share and pray and unify and build each other up — because we are strong, and this is how we’ve stayed strong throughout history,” Kupferman said.  

Eden Yair, the Jewish Agency for Israel fellow at WashU Chabad, FaceTimed into the event. 

“It’s hard to believe — the brain cannot conceive of it,” Yair said. “Every day that passes, the number increases. It’s not 700 anymore, it’s 900. It’s not 900 anymore, it’s 1,200 people.” 

She asked people in the audience to think about their loved ones, and to imagine what it would be like if one day, they were just gone forever. 

“When people ask how I am, I say, ‘I am as my people are,’” Yair said. “We can’t let the terror win.”

After she spoke, students led the audience in singing Oseh Shalom, a traditional Jewish song about God creating peace.

Eli Snir, a professor of data analytics who grew up in Israel, asked students at the vigil to use their voice, be active on social media, and offer help to friends. 

Snir also presented students with his answer to the question “Why is there a siege on Gaza?”

“There are 150 hostages [in Gaza],” Snir said. He acknowledged that the more than 2 million people in Gaza no longer have access to food or electricity, but re-emphasized the number of Israeli hostages, which includes women and children.

“There will be a siege on Gaza until 150 hostages are released,” Snir said. 

Sophomore Sophie Barnett read a statement on behalf of Snir Dagan, who works with the St. Louis JCC and was not in attendance because he was asked by the Jewish Agency to avoid large gatherings due to safety contents. 

“I haven’t gone to sleep in a week,” he wrote. “Israel changed forever, the entire Middle East changed forever.”

Dagon wrote that, although the horror of the events are just starting to truly set in, he finds strength in unity.

“This is the real Israel — we might argue, shout, yell at each other, but we have each other’s backs,” he said. 

Talia Wolkowitz and Danielle Serota, students at WashU’s law school and medical school respectively, talked about their experiences serving as lone soldiers in the IDF from 2015-2018.

Wolkowitz said that the WashU community is stronger together.

“I really feel the love and the light from the WashU community,” Wolkowitz said.

Serota talked about her friend Idan who was killed at the music festival in Re’im. 

“In the toughest of times, he had a beautiful smile on his face,” Serota said. “He went [to the music festival] to do what he loved most, dance, celebrate, and radiate joy.” 

She went on to say that Idan was laid to rest at the sea, which he always loved, and encouraged audience members to live the way he did. 

“Lift your heads up. Find a reason to smile,” Serota said.

Dylan Levy speaks about his experience as an Israeli Jew during this time. (Stephanie Chen | Student Life)

Senior Dylan Levy talked about the emotional turmoil he has experienced while worrying about loved ones.

“Each day, I wake up numb to the soaring deaths, numb to the calls from family members,” Levy said. “My WhatsApp dings every second with updates on the bombings.”

In the past week, Levy said he has been afraid for his life because he is Jewish and Israeli. 

“I flinch at the creaking floorboards thinking someone has broken into my home,” Levy said. “But I feel guilty for feeling this way. I ask myself, ‘How do I, someone who has never experienced this madness, have the right to fear my life from the comfort of the United States?’”

The Jewish a capella group Staam performed “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav,” a song about Jerusalem being a city of splendor. 

Junior Aaron Cohen, a member of the group, said that the vigil was a great showing of unity in the face of tragedy.

“It was a big crowd, [and] the tone was somber, [but we] had the heft of Israel behind us,” Cohen said.

First-year Emily Seligson said she had an emotional reaction to the vigil and the events taking place in Israel.

“[I’ve] gone through the range of every emotion in the last couple days,” she said.