Members of the Emory University community gathered on Oct. 7 on the Quadrangle to honor the lives lost during the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Emory Hillel, Emory-Israel Public Affairs Committee and Eagles for Israel hosted the event to create a space for Jewish students to mourn the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel. Other groups, including MEOR Emory and Chabad at Emory, also publicized the vigil on social media.
The event started with Pazit Kahlon Shelnutt, assistant teaching professor and language coordinator in Hebrew, detailing the importance of remembering the hostages still held captive by Hamas and those who lost their lives during the violence.
“We must not forget the terror of Oct. 7, the lives lost and the suffering that continues,” Shelnutt said. “But memory alone is not enough. The words of hope hold not only to remember but to act. Today, we remember the 101 hostages still being held in the tunnels of Gaza, their faces, their voices, their lives.”
The event proceeded with Emory community members recounting their experiences a year ago.
Sam Pittman (28C) was on a gap year in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. He described celebrating Simchat Torah — the Jewish holiday that marks the end of the year’s Torah reading — the day before the attacks. Singing old Jewish songs and prayers the night before reminded Pittman of “what it meant to be Jewish.”
When the rabbis who had led the celebrations the day before explained the severity of the situation on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, Pittman was “reminded differently of what it meant to be Jewish.”
Additional students spoke about the loss of loved ones resulting from the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, and the event concluded with a recitation of a prayer by Jewish Chaplin Rabbi Jordan Braunig.
In a speech, Braunig described the pain Jews have felt during the last year.
“The world feels shattered,” Brauning said, “We feel divisions in our personal lives and our political lives.”
Nicole Kiblisky (28C) emphasized the significance of Emory holding events like this. Kiblisky grew up in a community tied to Israel, and the vigil helped her “feel connected” to her upbringing.
Other members in attendance shared similar insights, with Benjamin Fortinsky (28C) mentioning how the event made him more connected in a time where “a lot of Jewish students feel isolated.”
Hillels of Georgia Engagement Coordinator Abbie Frankel explained how the vigil provided a space of mourning for Jewish students to build a community tied to their religion.
“Our religion focuses a lot on community,” Frankel said. “It’s a very communal space, and so this community allows us to be everything that our religion teaches us.”
Natalie David (26M) said the vigil helped her remember the strength of the Emory Jewish community.
“The pride of the Jewish community is being strong together,” David said. “We bring light to each other. We bring light into the world. A lot has changed in the last year, but we have gotten stronger as a community.”
