By Emily Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief
Hundreds of Yeshiva University students gathered in Lamport Auditorium 360 days after Oct. 7 to commemorate one year since the catastrophic terrorist attack on Israel. The memorial, held on Sept. 30, highlighted the YU community’s experience month by month over the past year.
“The YU community gave space to the feelings generated from each of the past 12 months, ending on a note of hope,” Beren Campus Student Government President Shalhevet Cohen (SSSB ‘25) told the YU Observer.
October | Tomer Meir: “I am still here”
Tomer Meir (YC ‘28), a freshman at YU, spoke first about his harrowing experience surviving the Nova Music Festival. “Oct. 7, 2023 was the day that changed my life forever,” he said.
While escaping Hamas’s attack, Meir and his friends hid in a metal pipe and behind bushes for hours, eventually getting in a car that was directed to the main road in Tel Aviv.
“When I look back at that long, horrible day, I think of the miracle of my survival,” he said. “The things that happen in our life happen for us and not to us… I am a stronger version of myself now and I am still here.”
January | Eden Lippe: “We don’t crumble in the face of despair”
Eden Lippe (SCW ‘25), the Stern representative on BCSG, traveled to Israel with the Sacks-Herenstein Stronger Together Solidarity Mission this past January.
“Being there, bearing witness, and volunteering moved me from feeling hopeless to hopeful,” she said. “I saw myself as a stakeholder in the future of our people.”
Eden described dancing in the streets of Ofakim at a Hachnasat Sefer Torah dedicated to Roi and Ariel Guri, two brothers who were killed protecting their community on Oct. 7.
“We gave those streets new memories,” she said. “As a people, we don’t crumble in the face of despair and destruction; we live on and we live for the memories of those we have lost.”
February | Gila Friedman: “Hashem maoz chayai, mimi efchad”
In February, Maoz Morell, cousin of Gila Friedman (SCW ‘24), was killed fighting in Gaza.
“Through hearing about him during the funeral and shiva, we realized that Maoz was a fighter throughout his entire life,” Friedman said, describing how he was a determined learner who brought a Shnayim Mikra set with him into Gaza to study Torah during his breaks.
“We can all learn from these traits of Maoz; to work harder at whatever task we are assigned to complete and to live by the mantra: ‘Hashem maoz chayai, mimi efchad,’” she said. “Hashem is the one who provides us with our strength, so we have nothing to fear.”
March | Rabbi Doron Perez: “None of the prayers were in vain,”
Rabbi Doron Perez, father of Daniel Perez, who was killed on Oct. 7, spoke about how it took the IDF 163 days to confirm his son’s death in March. His body is still being held captive by Hamas.
“Even though we are in such pain and were in such pain that day,” Perez said over zoom, “thankfully, his death was able to be defined and we know that he didn’t suffer.” Perez noted that the family buried one of Daniel’s uniforms found by the IDF, a uniform stained with his blood.
“None of the prayers were in vain,” he said. “He didn’t suffer, he’s not suffering and he will never suffer… That knowledge gives us enormous strength.”
June | Shalhevet Cohen: “I have never been prouder to be a Jew”
Cohen spoke about Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv, four hostages rescued by the IDF on June 8. The mission was renamed after Arnon Zamora, the commander of the operation who was killed.
“We are fighting against pure evil,” she said. “I have never been prouder to be a Jew and to be defending good against evil, truth against lies and righteousness against false virtues.”
July | Aaron Cohen: “The power of community and faith”
YU student Aaron Cohen was serving in the Golani Brigade in the IDF in July when Ben Brown, a Canadian lone soldier he had gotten to know over two years of service, was seriously injured by shrapnel from a Hezbollah rocket. Brown went into a coma but survived, despite a slow recovery.
“Ben’s fight is not just his own, it is shared by all of us, a testament to the power of community and faith,” he said.
Cohen had been stationed on the northern border of Israel for five months, and described constant rocketfire, which took a toll on the soldiers’ mental health.
“Though the road ahead may be long and fraught with challenges, we hold onto the belief that every day brings us closer to healing.”
August | Leora Muskat: “Continue telling the stories of Oct. 7”
Leora Muskat (SCW ‘25) spoke about the lives of Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Avraham Munder, six men who were murdered in Hamas captivity. Their bodies were recovered by the IDF in a daring mission on August 20.
Leora told the YU Observer, “Speaking at the event gave me the privilege and opportunity to honor the memory of the six incredibly special men who were kidnapped and later killed by Hamas.” She continued, “It is all of our responsibilities to honor those who fell Al Kiddush Hashem and continue telling the stories of Oct. 7.”
Student Perspectives | Tiferet Weissman: The “unbreakable ties” between YU and Israel
Students were extremely appreciative to be able to join together as one community at this event. “It’s incredibly important especially in a time of struggle to come together and support each other,” Beren Campus Student Government Vice President Tiferet Weissman (SCW ‘25) told the YU Observer. “The October 7 commemoration event reminded me how strong our community is and the unbreakable ties between every YU student and Eretz Yisrael.”
Conclusion | President Berman: “We will never give up hope”
YU President Ari Berman ended the memorial speaking about Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem.
“Hatikvah teaches us to look beyond the antisemitism and oppression to the glory of a homeland; it looks beyond the challenges and the terror to a magnificent future,” he said. “It reminds us to be grateful for our past but to keep our eyes forward for tomorrow’s opportunities.”
As students rose to sing Hatikvah, President Berman ended, “May you remember all those who in our history never gave up hope, because we will never give up hope.”
Photo Caption: Attendees at YU’s Oct. 7 commemoration
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University