Members of the Jewish student community gathered in Hogg Memorial Auditorium to hold a memorial commemorating the second anniversary of Oct. 7.
The event, organized by several student organizations, including Texas Hillel and Olami Texas, hosted more than 200 students and other community members, marking their second annual memorial. Before the memorial began, a video rolled the names of every known victim of the Hamas attack that took place in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Tonight, we gather in unity with heavy hearts to remember the darkest day in our recent history, Oct. 7, 2023,” said Lia Bloom, executive board member of Texas Hillel and speech, language and hearing senior, as she addressed the crowd.
The Hamas attacks killed about 1,200 Israelis, and the Israeli government immediately responded with a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which has killed about 67,000 Palestinians and is still ongoing, according to NPR.
The memorial began with a video tribute recounting the events of Oct. 7. A board toward the front of the auditorium was lit by candles, reading, “Bring Them Home,” in memory of the hostages in Gaza not returned to their families.
Matan Weiss, a former resident of the town Kibbutz Nahal Oz, spoke about losing a close friend, Ilan, during the attacks. He currently serves as an ambassador to Texas Hillel.
“I always felt safe … because of Ilan,” Weiss said to the crowd. “On Oct. 7, I had no doubt Ilan would be the first to fight, and he was.”
Weiss read off the names of those who died in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, sharing stories about each.
“In 2024, when I was asked to be the spokesperson of the kibbutz, I didn’t hesitate, even though I knew the price I would pay,” Weiss said. “It’s the quiet pain of those who survive.”
A video with Amit Mann, a nurse who died during the attacks, was played in tribute to her and the other emergency responders who died. The music video was a cover of Adele’s “Hello” and was made by an Israeli musician who discovered a video of Mann singing after her death. The video interwove the musician and Mann’s voice.
Psychology senior Shira Kovatch spoke about her visit to Israel in summer 2024 on her Birthright trip, a trip many American Jews take to commemorate their connection to Israel. She shared the story of a deceased Israel Defense Forces sergeant, Yonatan Lober.
“Post-Oct. 7, we stood together on that part at the fresh graves of the newly fallen soldiers,” Kovatch said. “I felt as though Jonathan’s memory itself was calling out to us, bringing us together, uniting us and reminding us of the power of (his) story.”
During the ceremony, students from the various groups came together to recite prayers, one for the freedom of the hostages and one for the well-being of the IDF soldiers.
Advertising sophomore Lia Nevipur ended the ceremony by singing Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah.”
For many in the Jewish community at UT, the ceremony marked a moment of hope.
“The eyes of the world and the hopes of the Jewish people are fixed on the promise that our hostages will finally come home,” Bloom said. “We pray that this moment will mark the beginning of their safe return.”
