Palestinian and Lebanese flags lined the grass of the South Lawn for an Oct. 1 vigil, hosted by the Arab Students Association, to honor those killed within the past year in Gaza and Lebanon.
Hadi, a Lebanese student who lost family in Israel’s recent bombing of Lebanon, said the vigil was a space of “collective healing” for those personally impacted by violence in the Middle East.
“As much as people would like to think it’s a world away and doesn’t affect us, this is something that has real effects within our own campus community,” said Hadi, who asked to be identified by only his first name. “Not only are they directly affected, (but) our University is directly funding it, so it actually has everything to do with us.”
A week after the Association’s vigil and exactly a year after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, Jewish community members gathered to mourn those who lost their lives and were taken hostage. They walked out of a nearly full Hogg Memorial Auditorium with yellow ribbons pinned to their clothing — a symbol calling for the return of hostages.
The memorial, a collaboration between Jewish student organizations, featured speakers and presented a pre-recorded video from Gov. Greg Abbott. Organizers projected a letter from President Jay Hartzell to student organization Longhorns for Israel.
“Being able to have all that work and something I care about so, so deeply and share it with my community when everyone is so vulnerable and is mourning — mourning at a time where a lot of people can’t mourn without getting harassed — was so special,” economics senior Jason Diebner said.
Last year’s Hamas attacks killed nearly 1,200 Israeli citizens. Israel’s subsequent military invasion of Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
American colleges saw sharp increases in Islamophobia and antisemitism after Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Anti-Defamation League and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. At UT, Texas Hillel’s parking lot was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. One Muslim student was physically attacked on campus in April.
In an Oct. 17, 2023, statement, President Jay Hartzell said there is “zero tolerance” for hate on campus.
Diebner said despite his pride, he sometimes feels compelled to minimize his Jewish identity for his own safety. He described hiding a Jewish book under his shirt after studying with his rabbi.
Rabbi Stephanie Max, the executive director of Texas Hillel, said in an email that Jewish life on campus should be “more than responding to hatred.”
In light of rising Islamophobia, some Muslim students’ relationship to their identity has transformed.
“There’s a lot of not wanting to be (Muslim),” said Rawan Albdeiri, the head of Arab Affairs at UT’s chapter of Atidna International. “My faith has gotten stronger, because you stick to your morals and then your morals guide you.”
Public relations sophomore Levi Fox said April’s large pro-Palestine demonstrations made him feel unsafe as a Jewish student.
“Not everybody in that protest is antisemitic or says antisemitic things, but there are people that feel emboldened to say those antisemitic, hateful things to Jewish students when those protests occur, that I think is unacceptable,” Fox said.
Hadi said the University calling in law enforcement to subdue the protests “sent a message” that certain viewpoints are not welcome on campus.
“We feel unsafe as Palestinians, as Arab students, but I think any student who is interested in keeping their right to free speech should feel unsafe as well,” Hadi said.
David Ryfe, director of the School of Journalism and Media, said the University should be clear about how it balances free speech with safety regarding its response to campus protests.
“(Students) should be allowed to (protest) to the extent that they can because it’s part of the educational experience on campus,” Ryfe said. “I don’t know that we’re doing a universally great job at that.”
Still, the University’s policies make some Jewish students, like journalism sophomore Jasmine Rad, feel safer on campus. She said Abbott’s April executive order, which aimed to combat antisemitism on college campuses, made her feel “seen and understood.”
Albdeiri said she feels the University has only addressed the pain of Jewish and Israeli students and not Muslim and Arab students.
“The most concerning aspect of it would be that there are students on campus, both Jewish and Muslim, of any background or identity, that are afraid to show who they are as a person,” Fox said. “That is deeply concerning to me, and overall, I think that’s a failure on all of us.”
