Members of the University community gathered around the LOVE statue on Oct. 10 for a vigil in honor of people who have died in the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, including Israel's recent attacks against Gaza and Lebanon.
Penn Arab Student Society and the Muslim Students Association organized the vigil, which aimed to "mourn and remember the innocent lives lost in Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria.” Approximately 60 students, staff, administration, and faculty attended the vigil, PASS told The Daily Pennsylvanian in a statement.
The event began at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and began with opening remarks by event organizers. Participants held roses while a speaker read “If I Must Die,” a poem by Palestinian writer Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian writer and professor who died in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza on Dec. 7, 2023.
Students shared stories of families killed in the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, and the vigil concluded with a moment of silence in remembrance of the lives lost.
“It was assuring to see the solidarity not just from students, but from faculty as well,” College senior and PASS President Majd Ayyad wrote to the DP. “It was important to provide a space of grief for Penn students and faculty and take some time to remember the stories of those innocent lives, both in Palestine and Lebanon.”
The vigil took place in the wake of multiple events commemorating the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, including a PASS and MSA memorial held at the ARCH building on Oct. 7, which recognized people killed in Gaza and Lebanon.
A pro-Palestinian march organized by Philadelphia Students for Justice in Palestine also took place on Oct. 7, beginning at Drexel Square Park and marching through the University's campus, culminating in four arrests outside Pennovation Works.
Penn Hillel also held programming throughout the day commemorating Israeli victims and hostages of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. At an installation in the lobby of Hillel, students read the names of victims and had posters of hostages placed around the perimeter of the room.
Participants ended the vigil with a prayer, leaving their roses at the LOVE statue as a symbol of mourning.
“It was great to see so much of the community come together to mourn our dead brothers and sisters,” PASS board member and College junior Ayman Alwaqzah said. “It was a powerful reminder of the strength we find in unity during difficult times.”
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