Updated as of 6:47 p.m. on Sept. 3 to include video.
Elon’s Jewish community gathered at Speaker’s Corner to mourn the lives of six hostages whose bodies were found in an underground tunnel in Gaza.
The six victims were among the 200 people taken by militants into Gaza on Oct. 7.
Individuals watch as Rabbi Mendy Minkowitz speaks on Sept. 2 about the people who were found dead in Gaza on Sept. 1.
Elon Chabad’s Rabbi Mendy Minkowitz said he is heartbroken over the loss of these lives and the events that have occurred in the last 11 months.
“In my adult life, I haven't cried as many times as I did in the last 11 months,” Minkowitz said. “It's so spontaneous. It's the weirdest thing. … It hurts in new ways every time. Over the last 11 months, there was every couple of weeks or months, there was either another tragic development — sometimes a happy development when hostages were released or rescued or some kind of operation — but this hit really, really hard.”
Minkowitz said the student's reactions to the death of the six hostages pushed Chabad into holding a service for the lives lost.
“Judging by the reaction that I saw from students yesterday when the news came out, both in person and on social media, every student who is sometimes more quiet about what's happening in Israel, came out of the woodworks,” Minkowitz said. “I realized that this is not business as usual. Something different is happening here.”
Senior and Hillel co-president Tyler Singer offers each person a coin to put in the Tzedakah Box at Speaker's Corner on Sept. 2.
Junior Sam Khavinson, Chabad’s co-president, said he wanted Jewish students to have a moment where they could grieve together.
“We’re coming together as a Jewish community,” Khavinson said. “To be with each other, to grieve together. It is a sad feeling, any death no matter what is a sad feeling for us all.”
Despite a 360% increase in antisemitic incidents in the United States between Oct. 7 and Jan. 7 according to the Anti-Defamation League, with over 500 reported incidents taking place on college campuses, Khavinson feels welcomed and safe on Elon’s campus.
“It's hard being a Jew, specifically now,” Khavinson said. “But I think on Elon's campus, I feel very, very loved by people around me, and I feel appreciated, and that's something I feel like I can't say many places which I definitely appreciate.”
Minkowitz said he is also grateful for Elon’s safe environment compared to other college campuses.
“I feel lucky considering my peers who are on campuses that are far, far more hostile, far, far more militant and where there are administrations that are doing nothing about those terrible things here,” Minkowitz said. “Thankfully, that's not the case. Neither are those things happening, and when there is even the most remote concern that something might happen, the university is very hands on about making sure that nothing, you know, spins out of control.”
Elon Campus Police were present at the event in case of emergency.
Menkowitz also said he appreciates how “hands-on” Elon University has been in regard to the Israel-Hamas war.
“I think Elon's been very boots-on-the-ground about it,” Minkowitz said. “They've met the students where they're at. They try to bring out speakers or what not, to try to help the understanding around the conflict — with varying degrees of success — but it's definitely with the best intentions. I think we're fortunate to be here where there is such good intentions about making people safe and comfortable.”