Wake Forest students and administrators came together throughout the day on Oct. 7 for four events on campus to commemorate the first anniversary of Hamas’ attack on Israel and the war that followed.

Two events, “Marking One Year Memorial Service” and “Spread Cream Cheese and Hummus, Not Hate” were organized by students, while a Community Reflection event and an Interfaith Prayers for Peace were hosted by the University.

“We hope that these times of collective reflection will inspire thoughts of what a more just and ethical future could look like as we dream, hope and pray together for a better tomorrow,” Chaplain Chris Donald, whose office sponsored the University-hosted events, said.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israeli towns bordering the Gaza Strip — a Palestinian territory that Israel and Egypt have blockaded for 16 years. The attacks resulted in the death of 1,200 Israelis and the capture of more than 200 hostages. There are an estimated 100 hostages still unaccounted for. Israel’s counterattack has included sending air strikes and troops into Gaza, which now faces a humanitarian crisis. Approximately 41,500 Palestinians have been killed, including civilians and militants.

Since then, the Wake Forest community has responded in several ways, including hosting vigils, teach-ins, demonstrations and protests. 

Alongside the on-campus events, another speaker event was held off-campus. Titled “One Year Since al-Aqsa Flood: Reflections on a Year of Genocide and Resistance,” Rabab Abdulhadi spoke at a local church to a crowd of approximately 100 attendees. The event was originally planned to be hosted on campus but was canceled after the University faced significant backlash, including a student-run petition that garnered over 8,000 signatures. A university-wide email from President Susan Wente and Provost Michelle Gillespie announced the cancellation of the speaker event and any other event that “is inherently contentious and stands to stoke division in our campus community.” 

Student organizations come together to promote peace

Early in the day, Wake Forest Hillel and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) collaborated to host “Spread Cream Cheese and Hummus, Not Hate,” a pop-in event on the first floor of Benson University Center, where community members enjoyed a variety of bagels, cream cheese and hummus. Members of both organizations sat together in a show of unity and welcomed conversations about antisemitism and Islamophobia. 

Regarding their collaboration with Wake Forest Hillel, MSA Vice President Mai Soliman told the Old Gold & Black that disagreement should not lead to dehumanization. 

“No real progress is going to be made if both sides are just yelling at each other,” Soliman said. “We’re here to grow as people, and we need to see both sides of the story with any topic, so by doing events like this, we’re trying to spread unity.” 

Hillel President Andrew Orfaly hoped the event would help the community look beyond stereotypes. 

“A lot of narratives are narratives pushed by people who don’t want peace,” Orfaly said. “But these communities can come together and be friends.”

Students mourn lost lives

Wake Forest Chabad and Hillel hosted a memorial service to honor those who died on Oct. 7. The event, which saw approximately 100 attendees, was closed to non-Wake Forest community members, and participants were required to show their student ID upon entry. To the Old Gold & Black’s knowledge, this was the most heavily attended event on campus that day. 

During the memorial, student leaders in the Wake Forest Jewish community expressed sentiments of unity and the importance of prayer, love and passion. Prayers for those in captivity and members of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) were also read. 

“It’s still very sad, and is something that’s still very raw for a lot of people,” Vice President of Affairs and Relations for Wake Forest Chabad Samantha Dorfman said. “But we also recognize that it is a year later and are trying to still have a sense of hope and spread that with people, and just bring people together.”

Before the memorial began, Matt Clifford, assistant vice president of campus life, announced that the University reserved the right to remove any students from the event who disrupted the presentation.

“Wake Forest affirms the commitment to free expression and a free inquiry,” Clifford said. “All values, beliefs and perspectives deserve to be articulated and heard free from interference.”

University reflects on Oct. 7

Similar to student groups, the University hosted both a pop-in event and a memorial service. The Community Reflection Event, hosted by the Office of the Chaplain, was held at 4:45 p.m. on the front steps of Wait Chapel and featured prayers and scripture readings from each of the chaplains. After the readings, community members were invited to write a prayer or light a candle for peace. Approximately 30 community members attended the event. 

Donald, who led the event, recognized the shock, confusion, anger and sorrow experienced by many because of Oct. 7. 

“We’re gathered here to give voice to our sorrow,” Donald said. “In this time of reflection and prayer, we mourn the lives lost in violence and war, and we hope for a better future.”

Senior Jenna Agin, one of the two students who attended, said that it is important for the campus community to recognize the anniversary of Oct. 7, though she said the event would have had a greater impact if more students attended. 

“I would always advocate for unity over division,” Agin said. “As a Jewish person, it’s super important to me. I know people who lost friends on Oct. 7 in Israel, so it’s something that has a lot of emotional weight for me and lots of people I know. So I’m glad [the University] held this event.”

Earlier in the day, an Interfaith Prayers for Peace pop-in event was also hosted by the office of the Chaplain and took place on Manchester Plaza. Community members were again invited to write a prayer or light a candle for peace. Members of the chaplaincy staff were present at the event to have a conversation or lead an individual prayer. 

“A lot of people hope that the world can be a better place and that we can respect the life and dignity of each person,” Donald said. “And it is worth expressing that hope in order to remind ourselves of it, particularly at a time when things seem so bleak, and to recommit ourselves to pursuing that better world.”

Editor’s Note: The Old Gold & Black is actively working to cover Dr. Rabab Abdulhadi’s talk. This story will be updated with links to coverage when the story is published.