About 100 students, staff, community members and local leaders gathered at the University of Guelph Tuesday evening for a vigil marking three years since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The sombre gathering at the university’s student centre featured Jewish prayers, singing and moments of reflection for those killed and taken hostage during the attack. “We’re here tonight to remember. We’re here tonight to stand with each other — shoulder to shoulder,” Rabbi Raphi Steiner of Chabad Guelph told CTV News. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants attacked communities in southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. The attack triggered a war in Gaza, where thousands of Palestinians have since been killed. For members of Guelph’s Jewish community, the anniversary remains deeply personal. “It means a lot. My dad’s from Israel. So what happened, it hits like home, you know?” said Noah Binder, a University of Guelph student who attended the vigil. “It’s so great seeing all the Jewish people on campus actually come together for such a tragic event.” Rachel Rapoport, another student at the university, said the Jewish community continues to grapple with the loss. “The Jewish community three years later is still grieving, and we are still heartbroken by the loss and trying to recover the broken pieces,” she said. Steiner said the gathering was also about supporting one another. “We come together because we can’t forget what happened,” he said. “When we let our guard down, what could happen... we come together to heal together.” The vigil also drew more than a dozen pro-Palestinian students and other onlookers. “October 7th, it really shifted the world,” said University of Guelph student Quras Shown. Mahmoud Bendari, another student who attended, said the anniversary is painful for people on both sides of the conflict. “Today holds a heavy toll on both sides. I believe death on both sides is wrong,” Bendari said. “We all believe that we should be living peacefully.” The anniversary comes after three years of heightened tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war, including concerns about antisemitism and divisions on university campuses. Students at Tuesday’s vigil said they have felt those divisions at the University of Guelph, but emphasized the importance of coming together. “Sometimes things change and it gets harder for us, but we just keep going,” said student Daxton Schwey. “We roll with the punches, try to keep ourselves happy and just support one another. And honestly, that’s the most important thing.” There was also a campus police presence at the vigil. Guelph Police and Waterloo Regional Police said Jewish places of worship and other locations were a focus for officers Tuesday as communities across the region marked the anniversary. Steiner said the gathering was ultimately about solidarity. “Because when we stand alone, it’s dangerous. But when we stand together, we form a metaphorical wall,” he said.
