Over 100 Cornell community members gathered on Ho Plaza for a vigil put together by Cornell Hillel to commemorate the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel on Sunday.
The vigil included prayers and personal stories shared by Cornell community members impacted by the attacks. Prayers were recited in Hebrew and English in honor of the lives lost on Oct. 7, as well as Israel Defense Force soldiers, the country of Israel and those held hostage by Hamas. Additionally, the mourner’s kaddish — a Jewish prayer that mourners recite — was said.
“October 7th two years ago was one of the darkest days in the history of the Jewish people and certainly the darkest day in most of our lifetimes,” said Noah Bodner ’27, student vice president of Cornell Hillel to the crowd.
“There is a lot of pain in our community, so we wanted to create a space for people to come together and support each other,” Bodner said. “We hope that people lean on each other during this difficult time.”
Candles in the shape of the Star of David and dozens of Israeli flags were present among the crowd of students.
Amidst the students, democratic candidate for the House of Representatives Josh Riley was also in attendance. Riley recently faced backlash from Ithaca residents for visiting Israel in a trip sponsored by the AIPAC-affiliated American Israel Education Foundation.
In a Sept. 1 statement to the Ithaca Times, Riley stated that he supported the Israeli people but not their leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, and that he shared humanitarian concerns over the war.
“I thought it was important to come to campus and show my support for the community,” Riley said to The Sun. “Seeing everyone come together and support each other really inspires me, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
To close the ceremony, the national anthem of Israel and the names of the 48 hostages — 20 of which are believed to be alive — were recited.
Last year, Students for Justice in Palestine held an alternative vigil to commemorate the events of Oct. 7, but the group did not hold one this year. They were previously suspended in March due to their role in the walkouts at the Pathways to Peace Event that resulted in the arrest or detainment of at least 17 pro-Palestinian protesters.
From 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, there will be a display on the Arts Quad to commemorate the hostages and remember the event.
Zeinab Faraj is a member of the class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is the features editor on the 143rd Editorial Board and was the assistant sports editor of the 143rd Editorial Board. You can reach her at zfaraj@cornellsun.com.
