For many WashU community members, the defining political issue on campus in the past year has been the Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7. 

On that day, a Hamas terror attack killed over 1,200 people in Israel. Since then, Israel launched a counterattack that has killed more than 42,000 people in the Gaza Strip as of Oct 5.

Erin McGlothlin, Vice Dean of Undergraduate Affairs and Professor of Holocaust Studies, said she is concerned by the absence of discourse on campus a year after Oct. 7, describing campus as existing in an “uncomfortable lull.”

“I don’t quite know how students are feeling at this exact moment. I’m at a loss right now because I’m not not seeing it or hearing it, and I wonder what’s been going on internally,” McGlothlin said. “Is it that students are exhausted? Is it that they feel dejected and pessimistic about what’s happening in the world?”

Now, a year after the attack by Hamas, Student Life spoke to a number of students, faculty, and staff to understand how Oct. 7 and the ongoing war has affected their experiences at WashU. 

Discourse on campus 

Some students feel that the University has done well at facilitating dialogue between different perspectives, while others believe that the administration has not done enough to create spaces for these conversations. 

Sophomore Huda Abdesumad, who is Palestinian, took a political science class in her first semester of college and felt her voice was silenced because of her identity.

“Everyone else in the class was very openly pro-Israeli and I felt like anytime I tried to speak, I would be silenced, and people would look at me with disgust,” Abdesumad said. “I feel like the respect that I would have before was completely diminished.”

Sophomore Jonah Porth, who is the Outreach Chair for WashU’s Jewish Student Association (JSA), said that he has learned a lot from events and speakers from the past year centered around the conflict, especially those who have done research in the Middle East. 

In late November, empty chairs were displayed on Mudd Field as part of a memorial to Oct. 7 hostages. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

Others have observed that it feels difficult to find spaces at WashU to have conversations about the Palestinian experience.

American Culture Studies lecturer Sami Tayeb teaches one of the only courses at WashU about the Palestinian and Arab experience, titled Arab Americans: Transcending the Colonial Imaginary. He wishes that there were more courses taught at WashU on the topic so that students could gain a better understanding of the situation.

“I want to find common ground and create dialogue within the University community,” he said. “I think if everyone has kind of a basic understanding of what’s really going on, that’s the only way going forward with any type of dialogue or reconciliation.”

In a statement to Student Life, Chancellor Andrew Martin wrote that he believes the community is finding its way forward together. 

“I’m hopeful that in the coming year, we will continue to create space for constructive dialogue, shore up any policies or protocols that will bring greater clarity to how we support free expression on campus, and, importantly, be kind to one another,” he wrote. 

Junior and Speaker of Student Union (SU) Senate Ella Scott said that SU Senate struggled to prioritize listening to discourse on campus.

“I think last semester we [Senate] did a lot of speaking up and not so much listening. So we are now, we are working really diligently on listening to our peers,” Scott said. 

During the past two semesters, SU Senate passed both the Divest from Boeing and Drop the Suspensions and Ensure Student Safety resolutions calling for the University to divest from Boeing and drop student suspensions related to the April 27 protest. 

Junior and SU Vice President of Engagement Ashton Lee reflected on SU’s past year positively. 

“I am proud as a member of SU in that we chose to take action instead of sitting on the sidelines, because that’s not what the student body asked of us,” Lee said. “We were asked to take action.”

Junior Sophie Barnett speaks at an SU meeting about divesting from Boeing. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

Senior and SU President Hussein Amuri further spoke about his hope for SU to be an intermediary between WashU’s administration and students to facilitate dialogue.    

“They’re hard conversations, but I think there is definitely no denying the fact that the ways in which people showed up for themselves and their respective communities [this past year] was deeply rooted in their own identity, their own backgrounds, their own perspective, or, more importantly, their own lived experiences, and we have an obligation to affirm and validate all of that,” he said.

Junior Penelope Thaman, who has been involved in Pro-Palestine organizing on campus and spoke at a press conference following the April 27 encampment, said that she has found it difficult to find students who will engage on the topic.

“A lot of people at the school are really apathetic; there’s a lot of people who just don’t really want to care or just want to continue doing whatever they’re doing in their lives, not try to think about anything bigger than that,” Thaman said. 

Senior Rayna Auerbach, who is president of WashU’s branch of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), emphasized the importance of having conversations with those who hold opposing views to better understand varying perspectives.

“A lot of times, it’s not that you really disagree [with each other] that much, it’s that someone else might not fully understand the bigger picture, or they might be missing some facts that you have knowledge about,” Auerbach said.  

Jewish Students for Palestine (JSP), a Jewish student organization that advocates for Palestinian liberation, finds discussions across ideological differences to be helpful most of the time in creating positive change on campus.

“There have been many conversations that have been extremely productive — we feel these conversations are a vital part of advocating for change in our communities,” JSP’s executive board wrote in a statement to Student Life.

Chancellor Martin delivers remarks at a free speech event in Umrath Lounge this September. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

Community Spaces

While some students and faculty have found comfort in their communities in the aftermath of Oct. 7, others feel outcast because of their beliefs about the conflict.

Junior Ilan Barnea — whose parents are both Israeli and served in the Israeli Defense Forces — said that he has felt a much stronger tie to the community on campus over the past year. 

“I think in the immediate aftermath, it made me a lot closer with the Jewish community, a lot closer to Israel, and my family there,” Barnea said. 

WashU Hillel Rabbi Jordan Gerson explained that he sees Hillel, and other Jewish organizations on campus, as places where students can feel safe to express their Judaism.

“That’s a lot of what we’re doing, giving them an outlet, a place where they can really be their their authentic selves, express their connection to Israel, express challenges that they’re feeling in this moment, with the rise of antisemitism locally and across the world,” Gerson said. “I don’t think that’s unique as far as the Jewish American experience the past twelve months.”

Students gather outside of the DUC in mid October for a vigil to honor those who died in the Oct. 7 attack (Stephanie Chen | Student Life)

However, JSP executive board said the events of Oct. 7 alienated some Jewish students from the Jewish community on campus.

“Many of us have been threatened, insulted, had our faith disparaged, been labeled ‘self-hating,’ and systematically have had our identities erased from Jewish spaces on campus,” they wrote. “Many Jewish students were made to feel that if they did not subscribe to political Zionism and support for the state of Israel, they were no longer considered Jewish.”

Students stand in solidarity with Israel at a pro-Israel rally last October. (Jaime Nicholson | Student Life)

Student Life has not heard back from the Muslim Student Association (MSA) executive board at the time of publication.

Sophomore Huda Abdesumad said her connection to the Muslim community in St. Louis supported her in the midst of hardship this past year.

“I feel like the Muslim community in St. Louis is very strong, and so I keep that faith with me,” Abdesumad said.

Palestinian senior Rahaf Hamzeh, said that what brings her community hope and strength is the resilience of the Palestinian people.

“Despite having their dreams stolen, homes demolished and loved ones taken away generation after generation…their determination to persevere and [be] resilient reminds us to keep speaking up against injustice no matter what,” Hamzeh said. 

Junior Penelope Thaman said that she felt that her political views had made her feel ostracized in some spaces, including certain classes at the University. 

“There are spaces I feel way less welcome in,” Thaman said. “There are classes that I feel like can’t respect my opinions. There are people who I feel like don’t respect me, who are kind of looking for the worst to happen to me.”

Students hold signs and banners at a pro-Palestine protest last spring. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

Social impacts

The Israel-Hamas war has placed some friendships under duress at WashU. For other students it has strengthened the bond between them and their friends with similar identities or political beliefs. 

Junior Samira Saleh, who is Palestinian, said that she has noticed a shift in how similar ideologies affect students’ social lives.  

“I think across friendships, there have definitely been at least tiffs; friend groups have been formulated based on political views, which is not something I’ve seen before, especially here given that we all come from different experiences,” Saleh said. 

For Senior Rayna Auerbach, discussing the war has helped her get closer with some friends.   

“I have lost a few friends, but not many,” she said. “There are more people that I feel like I’m now closer with because of things that we were able to discuss after [Oct. 7], and [I] feel like I was there for them.”

Rabbi Jordan Gerson said that he has heard from students that they have experienced difficulties in social situations due to their identities. 

“Within individual friend groups and social circles and student groups, there’s been some challenges for students,” Gerson said. “That’s been concerning as someone who advises groups and supports our students…. [Incidents like these] have been somewhat isolated, but they exist.”

Abdesumad said she found stronger relationships because people around her were more willing to engage with her culture and the history of Palestine.

“I was able to build more genuine relationships with people after the fact because you have friends who say, ‘I want to learn more. I want to be there for you,’” Abdesumad said. “I feel like that’s been a light that came out of the situation.”

According to the group’s executive board, JSP’s formation has “greatly helped” Jewish students on campus who previously felt there was no space where they could express their identity. 

“JSP has given non-Zionist Jewish students a space to practice Judaism again on our own terms. We have responded to a need on campus and have created an incredible Jewish space for holidays, education, and community,” they wrote.

Mental health 

Many community members with personal connections to regions in Israel-Hamas war shared that it has had a significant impact on their mental health.

Sophomore Huda Abdesumad said her fear for her extended family’s safety in Palestine has altered her life since Oct. 7.

“I have to live every day thinking, are they still alive? Do they have food? Do they have water? Are they safe?” she said.

Junior, and JSA president, Noam Karger said he realized he needed to focus less on the news.

“There was a point in the year when the 300th Israeli soldier was killed, and that’s when I decided I needed to stop reading the news because I realized how much of a toll it had taken on my ability to be present where I was.” 

Professor Sami Tayeb spoke about how having family living in the West Bank has impacted his daily life in the past year.

“The threat of violence is very real for them and everyone else living in the West Bank, so I am just constantly thinking about it all the time which puts a lot of stress on my ability to do everything,” Tayeb said.    

For junior Penelope Thaman, managing schoolwork while grappling with the scale of casualties in the past year has been overwhelming. 

“It’s been really hard to care about WashU in the last year, to care about doing my schoolwork, to just watch a livestreamed genocide that the institution is actively contributing towards,” Thaman said. 

Sophomore Jonah Porth said that he believes it is crucial to remember that many people on WashU’s campus are struggling with the magnitude of the conflict. 

“At the current moment we’re in, I think people often forget that everyone’s hurting. No one wants this. The constant blame game isn’t really a worthwhile conversation to have,” Porth said. “I think civilized conversation, or just collective mourning, is more productive.”

Experiences expressing identity on campus 

Since Oct. 7, many students feel they cannot physically express their identities that are tied to the conflict on campus without meeting negative reactions. 

“I was able to wear my keffiyeh and have my little Palestine flags all over my structures, like how anyone else wears their flags proudly,” sophomore Huda Abdesumad said. “After Oct. 7, it was like I had to hide myself for safety.”

Junior Samira Saleh also feels WashU’s once welcoming environment now compels her to hide her identity.

“[WashU] became one of those spaces where if I wore some of my jewelry with Arabic text, or even if I brought anything up [about] my background, I grew this strange fear of being met with very negative reactions,” Saleh said.

A Palestine flag displayed in front of Brookings Hall at a protest (Sam Powers | Student Life)

As a Jewish student, junior Noam Karger reported fears about wearing items that visibly showed his Jewish identity. 

“[WashU has] changed from a place where I felt very comfortable walking around with my yarmulke on my head every day, to a place where I still wear it every day, but have to think twice about it sometimes when there are more intimidating events going on,” Karger said. 

A student holds a Star of David necklace during a vigil to honor those who died in the attack on Oct. 7 (Stephanie Chen | Student Life)

University response

Some students stated that they appreciated the University’s response because it helped them feel safer on campus, while others criticized the University as they saw the response to the April 27 encampment as suppression of free speech.

Students and community members stand among the encampment set up on April 27 (Alan Zhou | Student Life)

Chabad Co-director Chana Novack said some Jewish students approved of the University’s response to the protests. 

“A group of students designed a T-shirt that had the Chancellor’s glasses on the front and it said ‘#That’sMyChancellor,’” Novack said. “The students felt that they have an administration that wants them to be safe and feel safe, physically, emotionally, mentally.”

Rabbi Jordan Gerson said that he has felt very grateful to be at WashU.

“The campus atmosphere has changed to a degree but when I look at what’s happening across the country, I feel very lucky to be on this campus,” Gerson said. 

On the other hand, professor Sami Tayeb condemned the administration’s responses post-Oct 7. 

“Since Oct. 7, the University has disappointingly only upheld and enabled white supremacist narratives. Their sidelining of Palestinian humanity has highlighted the institutional racism against Palestinians,” Tayeb said. 

Junior Samira Saleh was also disappointed by the University’s response to on-campus events and protests.

“They have let down hundreds of students on campus,” Saleh said. “They took a side, and that leaves so many students and faculty vulnerable because they feel like they are not backed by the very university that has provided them an academic background.”

JSP’s executive board said the University’s attempts to silence pro-Palestine activism has inadvertently fueled protests on campus.

Students stand outside the Office for Student Conduct to protest the suspension of pro-Palestine protesters. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

“Through student conduct meetings, suspensions, probations, police violence, and a general unwillingness to listen to the concerns of the student body, WashU [administration] indirectly encouraged students to grow the protest movement to make concerns louder,” they wrote.

Professor of Art History and Archaeology Angela Miller said the University’s response to protests on campus prevents conversation, which she considers a significant part of an education.

“I think that the project of education and of understanding can only be advanced by dialogue and by discussion,” Miller said. “When the University shuts down peaceful dialogue and peaceful discussion and speech about Palestine, that’s very damaging.”

Junior Penelope Thaman said that she also saw hypocrisy between the University’s actions and what is taught at the school.

“We’ll have a decolonial movement on campus that is actively shut down,” Thaman said. “And then I’ll go to my class that teaches us to be decolonial.”

Police break up the encampment and arrest protesters during the April 27 protest (Alan Zhou | Student Life)

Vice Dean Erin McGlothlin said the University is having difficulty responding to allegations of antisemitism and islamophobia in the aftermath of Oct. 7 because of shifting discourse surrounding the conflict.

​​“We are still trying to figure out the boundaries of free speech, and at the same time, keep our communal norms intact,” McGlothlin said. “All those things were affected by the protest, by the [University’s] response, by the discourse between students, and the discourse between faculty members. I think we’re trying to reorient ourselves and find ways to move forward.”

Chancellor Martin and Professor Lee Epstein discuss free speech at an event moderated by SU president Hussein Amuri. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

Looking Forward 

In the next two years sophomore Huda Abdesumad hopes to remain strong, positive, and focus on what brought her to WashU. 

“I need to take as many resources as I can, learn as much as I can, and put that back out into the world, because I’m just doing what I can with what I have.”

Israeli Jewish, Islamic, and Middle Eastern Studies professor and Israel Fellow Ayala Hendin both teaches and researches Israeli politics at WashU and is currently carrying out a research project about the impact of Oct. 7 on Israeli higher education. After a year of turmoil and tragedy, Hendin wonders how we can and should fit into the larger context of the Israel-Hamas war.

“Is the role of American campuses, American students, American citizens, to kind of point fingers to who is right and who is wrong?” Hendin said. “Or can you have a role in helping us actually imagine hope for so many people in the Middle East, in Israel, in Gaza, and in Lebanon [who] are really hurting?”

Looking forward, junior Ashton Lee hopes to see more people talk about the topic with a foundation of empathy. 

“Think about the humanity and of the people affected. The destruction that it has caused for their own communities or their own families or their own friendships,” Lee said. “Embody humanity, embody love, embody compassion, embody empathy.”

Editors Note: This article was updated at 4pm  on Oct. 8th to include the perspective of Rahaf Hamzeh

Additional reporting by Nina Laser, Avi Holzman, and Joel Swirnoff