The Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University held an Oct. 7 memorial and observed the first day of Sukkot — a weeklong Jewish holiday — during a ceremony at Anniversary Plaza on Tuesday afternoon.
Attendees gathered to remember the Israelis that Hamas killed on Oct. 7, 2023, affirm their support for Israel and celebrate Sukkot with a tradition where a citrus fruit, known as an etrog, is fastened to a date palm frond — called a lulav — and waved in prayer. Those gathered also played music in Hebrew, danced and held solemn prayers for those held hostage.
The event took place on the second anniversary of Hamas’ surprise invasion of Israel in 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took over 250 hostages, committing war crimes, according to the United Nations. Israel’s responding military action in Gaza, which has killed almost 70,000 Palestinians and destroyed swaths of Gaza, has been called genocide by a UN inquiry, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Doctors Without Borders and two Israeli human rights groups.
Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel, founding director of the Chabad Center, called on Jewish community members to fight negativity with positivity.
The Rabbi proclaimed “Am Yisrael Chai,” to the group, which means “The people of Israel live.” The crowd replied with the same phrase in unison. Tiechtel added that every Jewish student should feel safe on campus.
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“No one can intimidate you,” Tiechtel said in a speech. “You have to believe in what you believe … You have to stand tall and stand proud — proud of being a Jew, proud of being connected to our homeland, Israel. Never, ever feel intimidated.”
During his speech, Tiechtel, who declined an interview as he wished not to be recorded while observing the holiday, recited the Shema, a central Jewish prayer.
Ethan Comrov, junior in Business, explained some of the holiday’s historical context and religious practices in an interview with The Daily Illini.
“You build these things called Sukkahs, and you live in them for seven days or so,” Comrov said, referring to a hut constructed to commemorate the Israelites’ journey from Egypt. “It’s basically a call back to the Old Testament — the Torah — when the Jews are traveling the desert from Egypt to Israel, where they lived in these huts. (It’s) a way to commemorate the holiday.”
Tuesday’s event, Comrov said, aimed to bring people together for the holiday while praying for the hostages and supporting the Jewish community and “those who support Jewish people.”
The DI asked Comrov about President Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan from last week. Trump said the plan would end the fighting immediately, ordering Israel to stop bombing Gaza.
“I really hope that peace goes through, we can get the hostages back and the war ends,” Comrov said. “Hopefully, we can all live in peace and then start some sort of path there.”
Comrov expressed some skepticism, saying he had heard many times over the past two years that the war would end.
“I’m always hopeful, but I don’t want to be disappointed again,” Comrov said.
Hamas agreed last week to free all remaining hostages and to hand over Gaza’s governance to Palestinian technocrats, but it hasn’t said it would disarm or give up any future political role in Gaza’s leadership, as Israel has demanded.
As of Oct. 8, there are said to be 20 living hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, not including the remains of hostages who have died. Hamas abducted 251 hostages total on Oct. 7, 2023, with the number dwindling due to some being returned to Israel, being rescued by Israeli forces, being killed by Hamas or dying in Hamas captivity.
Comrov said he is praying for the hostages’ safety. He said he was concerned about antisemitism in the United States, which he said has increased because of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Comrov recalled meeting the friend of two hostages when he traveled to Israel last year. Comrov said the friend told him that those two people Hamas abducted lived on the Gaza-Israel border “in order to engage with their Palestinian neighbors” before the attack.
“I think back to meeting with her,” Comrov said. “I’m praying for them, that we’re able to have their safety.”
Comrov added that he hopes the hostages who are alive return alive and those who are deceased are returned for a proper burial.
After Hamas attacked Israel, Comrov said his neighbor at Illini Tower displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party and militant group. The organization has been involved in conflicts with Israel over several decades, beginning with Israel’s occupation of Lebanon in 1982.
“I was very distressed by that,” Comrov said about his neighbor’s display. “I wrote them an actual letter, and I was like, ‘Hey, let’s engage in some dialogue and let’s talk,’ and they never responded to it … If people are supporting that, I have to be a little careful here.”
Ethan Morady, senior in ACES, who draped himself in an Israeli flag, said he attended the gathering to remember those killed by Hamas and to call for an end to the conflict.
“I just want the hostages back,” Morady said. “I just want this war to be over … It’s been going on way too long.”
Regarding Trump’s proposed peace deal, Morady said he is hopeful.
“It seems like they’re making some good progress,” Morady said.
Morady said he’s against Israel occupying Gaza, but also said that he thinks a third party should “deradicalize” the territory.
“Hamas has embedded themselves within the civilization so much to the point where you do need some form of a third-party system to come in and deradicalize them,” Morady said.
Max Wanger, sophomore in Engineering and Education, said he thinks it’s “hard to tell where things are going.” Wanger accused Hamas of pulling out of peace deals at the last minute.
“It just needs to end for the sake of both Israeli people and the Palestinian people, because Hamas has not been good to them,” Wanger said.
On Wednesday, Trump said Israel and Hamas agreed to the first phase of his peace plan to pause fighting and release some hostages and prisoners, according to the Associated Press.
