On Tuesday night, about 40 students and community members gathered on the Main Green for a vigil marking the two-year anniversary since Hamas attacked Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, 2023. The vigil, organized by Brown-RISD Hillel, honored the hundreds of people killed and taken hostage during the assault.
During the attacks, Hamas killed an estimated 1,200 people and took over 250 people hostage. In the ensuing war, the Israeli death toll has risen to 2,000, including Israeli soldiers, and the number of Palestinian deaths sits at 67,000. According to Israeli estimates, about 20 hostages are still alive. Israel continues to demand the return of the bodies of 28 other hostages.
“It’s been a time of fragmentation,” Rabbi Josh Bolton said in a speech at the vigil. “It’s been a time of pain.”
In an email to The Herald, Bolton wrote, “We are praying for the immediate return of the hostages and for an enduring and just peace in our sacred homeland.”
“I am deeply inspired by the many students who shaped this day of commemoration,” he added.
The event included an arrangement of large milk cartons with posters displaying the faces of missing hostages — which Bolton said was a nod to how milk cartons have historically been used to advertise missing persons.
“For nearly two years, we have carried their faces in our hearts,” said Elihay Skital ’28 in a speech at the event. “Every day, we pray for their return, for the day we can finally say they are home.”
Skital stressed the need for a “lasting” and “real” peace where “we can all live in security.” He also called for “no more wars, no more terror, no more loss.”
The event, hosted by Brown-RISD Hillel, featured a display of large milk cartons across from Sayles Hall with missing people posters on them.
Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing between Israel and Hamas, both of whom appear to be moving closer to an agreement.
Since the Oct. 7 attack, Skital said there has been a heightened sense of fear among Jewish students, highlighting what he sees as a communal struggle against antisemitism.
“Antisemitism today is not only the person shouting slurs or drawing swastikas. It is also the quiet fear that breaks in all of us,” he said. “It is the power dynamics that make you second-guess whether to do a project about Israel, to wear your Star of David necklace or to speak up when others misrepresent your story, your country, your background.”
At the same time, Bolton believes that “the environment on campus has improved for all students,” he told The Herald. Some students attributed this improvement to the development of a close-knit Jewish community through a shared experience of mourning.
In his speech at the vigil, Bolton reflected on the life of a family member who was killed during the Oct. 7 attacks.
Yael Reisman, an Israel fellow at Hillel, said in her speech at the event that “everyone knows someone” who was affected by the Oct. 7 attacks. She explained that this shared experience means Jewish community members “are not alone” in grappling with the conflict.
Skital also emphasized the importance of communal resilience against antisemitism. The Jewish community “will not be afraid,” he said. “We stand united.”
Correction: A previous version of this article's photo caption incorrectly attributed a quote to Rabbi Mendel Laufer. The quote in the photo caption was stated by Rabbi Josh Bolton. The Herald regrets the error.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to remove the word “incident” when describing the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. The change was made to more accurately reflect the nature of the events.
Avani Ghosh is a contributing editor at The Herald. She previously served as a metro editor and covered city and state politics. She is a senior from Ohio studying Health and Human Biology and International and Public Affairs. She is an avid earl grey enthusiast and can be found making tea in her free time.
