To our Hillel community, on the events in Israel

This weekend, millions of Jews across the world set out to celebrate Simchat Torah, one of our most holy and joyful holidays. Instead our global community awoke to the news that Israel suffered a land, sea, and air invasion by Hamas terrorists under the cover of thousands of rockets across the country. The ensuing, horrific assault on civilian populations by Hamas decimated cities, destroyed families, and left thousands in critical care. The total dead has reached over 700 and the number is only rising as the massacres continue. Over 100 citizens from babies to elders are currently held hostage by Hamas, as well.

Images and videos have flooded social media as Hamas publicizes its crimes. The footage is graphic. It is deplorable. We must denounce the slaughter of innocents, the desecration of bodies, the dehumanization and capture of civilians for what it is. This is terrorism. Calling it by any other name is a deep disrespect not only of the victims, but of every other Jewish person who has spent the subsequent hours since becoming aware of the attack frantically checking their phones, desperate to hear that their families and loved ones in the region are safe, for now.

Hillel stands with Israel and will continue to do so during the difficult days ahead. The emotional toll of these terrible events hits each of us differently. We recognize the intensity of the moment for many of our students is compounded by the already crushing workload preceding fall break. We will be announcing our plans to gather in the coming days, and will be sure to update our community via email and on social media. As always, the Hillel staff and leadership are always available. If you or a friend is seeking support, please do not hesitate to reach our staff directly or hillel@vanderbilt.edu.

The Jewish Federation of Nashville will be holding a rally in support of Israel on Monday, October 9th at 7 pm at the Jewish Community Center. All members of our community can reach out to Ari Dubin or Veronica Grady for a link to register to attend and to get set up with a ride.