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One year later: UW-Madison students hold Oct. 7 vigil By Elijah Pines & Bryna Goeking STAFF WRITER & ARTS EDITOR
More than 500 Jewish University of Wisconsin-Madison students and community members held a vigil on Library Mall Monday night, mourning the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel and finding solidarity after a year of extraordinary challenges. The Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack killed over 1200 Israelis, with more than 150 kidnapped, and resulted in an escalation of the ongoing war in Gaza. For Jewish students on the UW-Madison campus, the attack and perceived indifference toward the victims led to feelings of isolation and loneliness, though many found comfort in community and organizations such as Hillel and Chabad. Many speakers talked about the importance of finding Jewish community on campus amid the ongoing war. Before and during the vigil, many students hugged and embraced. “Seeing the Jewish community show up time and time again is the most beautiful, heartwarming thing that I can imagine,” UW-Madison sophomore Ezra Rosenthal told The Daily Cardinal. Twenty students set up and led the
event, said UW-Madison Hillel CEO and President Greg Steinberger, with planning beginning in August. “This happens at all sorts of things, be it spiritual, going to concerts, there’s a cathartic nature of having that shared, bonded experience,” Steinberger told the Cardinal. Before the vigil, students working the event handed out Israeli flags, yellow ribbons and dog tags. Rosenthal said the dog tags were worn by the many Israelis killed at the Nova Festival last year, and they symbolize Israeli pride in a way “that’s not a Jewish symbol.” The tags said “Bring them home now” in English and Hebrew. Steinberger noted many students were concerned about security at the event, which had upwards of 500 people, according to University of Wisconsin Police Department communications director Marc Lovicott. There were roughly 10 police officers present, along with a police dog and a drone overhead. Lovicott told the Cardinal the event was “very peaceful and respectful,” with no incidents reported. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) also held a protest on Bascom hill Monday morning as part of their “week of rage.” The
group is hosting protests and events each day from Oct. 7 to Oct. 11 to voice opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon, which has killed over 41,000 Palestinians, according to the UN. Steinberger described the past year as “a year with extraordinarily high antisemitism” and said “there’s an echo to another time where Jews are also ‘other.’” In November, a neo-Nazi group marched up State Street, waving swastikas and chanting anti semitic slogans. Antisemitic chalking was also found at the Dane County Farmers Market last spring. Rachel Nasatir, a UW-Madison senior and member of the Chabad Leadership, said she heard “globalize intifada” and “go back to Poland”, yelled at Jewish students on campus, which she calls “inherently antisemitic.” Junior Maya Stagman addressed the crowd about her experience last Oct. 7, hurting for her Jewish community and family in Israel, including her cousin in the Israeli Defense Force. “Today, I stand before you as passionate as ever to keep our community strong and united, praying to bring our hostages home,” Stagman said. “To some extent, everyone
was affected by the tragedy of Oct. 7, and the controversial fallout after that horrible day. But despite all of the pain we carry, our love, strength and sense of community is even more powerful.” Chabad Rabbi Mendel Matusof compared Oct. 7 to Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, in his speech. “Yom Hashoah is remembered through the silence,” he said. “Oct. 7 is remembered through the thundering cry from all of us.” After Rabbi Mendel came Hillel Rabbi Judy Greenberg, who led the crowd in a moment of silence and recited a funeral prayer called the Mourner’s Kaddish. While the Cardinal was talking with President Steinberger, a non-Jewish student came up and shook Steinberger’s hand. He remarked how he lost a friend who was at the Nova festival and thanked Steinberger for helping set up the event. “I think we all want a better year. There’s a baseline of we all need a better year. And for humanity, we need a better year.” Steinberger told the Cardinal. “I’m optimistic, but it’s not easy.” The vigil closed with the Israeli national anthem and “One Day” by Matisyahu.
Students for Justice in Palestine rally on Oct. 7, decry recent violence in Gaza By Noe Goldhaber, Gabriella Hartlaub, Sreejita Patra & Jake Piper COLLEGE NEWS EDITOR, ARTS EDITOR EMERITUS, SENIOR STAFF WRITER & STAFF WRITER
Around 50 University of Wisconsin-Madison Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) members hosted a rally on Bascom Hill Monday to voice opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and ongoing escalations against Lebanon in the year since Hamas’ 2023 attack in Israel. Between 30 to 60 pro-Israel demonstrators gathered by the rally, shouting expletives and misgendering SJP members while playing loud Israeli EDM music during SJP speeches. Pro-Palestine protesters chanted “From the river to the sea,” “Intifada revolution” and “Free, free Palestine.” One year ago on Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 people and kidnapping at least 150 people. Since Oct. 7, 2023 the Israel Defense Forces have killed at least 40,000 Palestinians directly and possibly up to 186,000 indirectly. In recent weeks, Israel invaded Lebanon, driving over 1.2 million from their homes in an increased escalation of war in the region. The last year has marked a time of increasing polarization surrounding Israel and Palestine on college campuses around the country, including at UW-Madison. Last spring, SJP organized a 12-day encampment, and some Jewish, Muslim and Middle Eastern students have per-
BAILEY KRAUSE/THE DAILY CARDINAL
ceived more hate and bias incidents, loneliness on campus and a lack of university support. “Many people on campus on both sides were touched by the news of this conflict a year ago, but today they are just used to it and have stopped caring,” SJP protester Junyao Wang told The Daily Cardinal. “We are not going to give up because we’re tired. We need to give people stimulation.” SJP board member Shafiq said the exhaustion many on campus could feel seeing SJP demonstrations does not compare to exhaustion of Palestinians who have been suffering from Israel’s bombardments. “You’re getting tired of seeing pro-
tests? You’ve got to be thinking about how tiring it is to see bomb after bomb dropped on your house,” Shafiq said. “I think that if you’re tired of seeing protests on campus, you don’t really know tired.” Shafiq also said Oct. 7 marked not only the anniversary of Hamas’ attack, but the escalation of the occupation which has left over 40,000 Palestinians dead. “It is a day of intensified genocide against the Palestinians, and I think that’s just as much something for us to mourn and be angry about, as well as the continuation of the occupation,” he said. Max, a pro-Israel demonstra-
tor, told the Cardinal Oct. 7 was a day of mourning and called SJP’s protest “disgusting.” “It’s like they don’t understand our pain. We understand that lives have been lost on both sides, but our pain is today,” Max said. “If they want to protest, fine, they have every right to do so, but the fact that they feel the need to do it on a day like this, there’s no sense of humanity.” Pro-Israel demonstrator Adain called SJP protesters’ chants blasphemous “October 7 is the worst tragedy to happen to the Jewish people since the
Holocaust,” Adain said. “To see these people here chanting Intifada, chanting for more bloodshed is insane, especially on the one-year anniversary of what happened.” SJP reserved the lower third of Bascom Hill for a display to honor Palestinian lives lost since Oct. 7, according to UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas. According to university policy, registered student organizations must reserve the lower third of Bascom Hill for “signage displays.” Pro-Palestine protesters were met with boos and jeers from pro-Israel demonstrators as their program began, with those in support of Israel holding up flags and chanting loudly over SJP’s opening statements. When SJP retorted, telling off the pro-Israel demonstrators for “cheering during a land acknowledgement,” a louder roar of cheers were heard. University officials including Dean of Students Christina Olstad and Vice Chancellor for Inclusive Excellence LaVar Charleston were present during the protest along with at least six UWPD officers who separated the two groups by standing between them. The demonstration was one of the first major protests since UW-Madison released updated protest and “expressive activity” guidelines ahead of the fall semester. Continue reading at dailycardinal.com
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”