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Around 40 community members met outside of Syracuse University Chabad Jewish Student Center for a Sunday evening vigil in memory of six Israeli hostages, including one Israeli-American, who were found dead in Gaza this weekend.

During the vigil — co-hosted by Students Supporting Israel at SU, the Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs and the Israel Culture Club — attendees lit candles in honor of each of the victims. The event organizers then read descriptions of each of the deceased hostages aloud.

Rafaela Torossian, president of SSI, said several student leaders quickly made a group chat and were in contact with Chabad within the hour of the news coming to light. She said she and other SSI members wanted to commemorate the lives lost right away.

“(We wanted) to show other students who are pro-Israel, students who are in pain, that we’re aware of what has happened,” Torossian said. “As a community, we’re here together, to have each other and to grow.”

The six people — Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi and Eden Yerushalmi — were among the over 250 taken hostage during Hamas’ initial Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Hamas militants killed over 1,000 Israelis in the October attacks.

In the months since the attack, some hostages have been released through diplomatic agreements and Israel Defense Forces operations. Palestinian officials have said the IDF’s operations in Gaza have resulted in over 40,000 deaths since Oct. 7, as of Aug. 15, according to Reuters.

Since the hostages were reported dead, protests have broken out across Israel, according to AP, as protestors call for Hamas to release the remaining hostages and for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to consider a ceasefire deal.

Three of the six hostages were reportedly set to be released in the July ceasefire proposals, according to The Associated Press.

The vigil was announced around 5 p.m. Sunday soon after news of the hostages’ deaths first broke. During the gathering, which was open to the public, attendees took part in moments of silence and joined organizers in song and prayer.

At the start of the vigil, organizers led a candle-lighting ceremony and a brief moment of silence. One organizer then led the attendees in song before Mendy Rapoport, a rabbi with SU Chabad, addressed the group.

Rapoport led the group in Jewish prayers and mourning traditions. Throughout the gathering, student attendees emphasized how connected they felt to the hostages.

“We see these individuals as our brothers and sisters,” Julia Weinreich, a sophomore attendee, said. “They are in Israel and they are far and we may not have known them personally, but truly just being a Jewish individual … you feel so close to these people, and you feel hurt as well.”

The candles lit for each of the hostages is part of Jewish tradition, Weinreich said. Every year, on the anniversary of a death, Jewish people will often light a candle in honor of the deceased in an observance known as “Yahrzeit.”

Rapoport said it’s important to give students the opportunity and space to gather in solidarity, and that he was impressed and inspired by the turnout.

“Being able to come together helps people feel a bit more grounded, connecting with their Jewish community here and also with the Jewish community globally,” Rapoport said.

Published on September 2, 2024 at 12:53 am

Contact Delia: dsrangel@syr.edu