On the night of Oct. 20, over 80 University of Massachusetts students and faculty united in grief and solidarity to mourn the Palestinian lives that have been lost in the wake of the ongoing siege of Gaza and recent attacks on Israel. The vigil, which took place outside of the Student Union under adverse weather conditions, was organized by the Students for Justice in Palestine and the UMass Dissenters.
SJP and Dissenters announced the vigil on Instagram as part of their “Student Week of Action,” which consists of various protests and events for Palestine following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and subsequent Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip.
The attack claimed over 1,400 lives in Israel, mainly civilians. Israel’s retaliation by bombing the Gaza Strip has killed at least 5,000 people and their siege of the Palestinian region displaced thousands of residents, with thousands more facing shortages of food and other resources. The recent events are a continuation of the longstanding conflict in the region.
At the beginning of the vigil, members of the SJP lit candles placed around a Palestinian flag and decorated their heads with a keffiyeh — a traditional Palestinian black and white scarf worn to render unity and solidarity. The crowd organized themselves in a circle around the flag, and more than one “Free Palestine” sign could be seen among them.
Throughout the night, multiple speakers went up to tell their personal survival stories, words of hope and mourning, and even poetry with the purpose of offering respect to the dead.
“The cause of Palestine is, at its core, the cause of ending oppression,” one of the speakers stated.
“This conflict has been going on since I can remember,” another speaker said. “This conflict has been my entire life. This is the only battle I’ve known.”
After a Muslim prayer was held, members of the SJP and Dissenters asked for a moment of silence for as long as the crowd could endure. As the rain intensified significantly, the only sound was that of umbrellas opening and raindrops hitting the ground. The moment of silence lasted over five minutes until a speaker thanked the crowd.
“Even if you think you are just one person, we are a community, and grieving as a community is extremely powerful,” they said.
At the end, multiple members went up to hold a candle and pay their respects while others hugged in mourning. The vigil lasted about an hour until people began to take cover from the rain.
In response to the Daily Collegian’s request for a statement, the co-president of SJP, who said they decided to remain anonymous due to recent death threats other members have received, said that they were a “first-hand victim of Israel” after having to flee Lebanon as a child under threat of bombings, and said they have personal connections to affected Palestinians.
“I lived in Lebanon when I was bombed” they said. “I have family there, personal connections, and even family who were victims of the Nakba.” The Nakba (Arabic for catastrophe) refers to the mass displacement and massacre of Palestinian towns during the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict.
“I don’t think any of that is relevant, though,” they continued. “You don’t need to have a personal connection to stand against genocide, which is what’s happening. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed, almost half of the population in Gaza are children. Tonight, we’re mourning everyone who has ever died under Israeli occupation.”
Andrew Skeete, a junior anthropology major and third-semester member of the Dissenters, expressed his disappointment about the way people on campus and University administration have approached the conflict.
“I’m not Israeli or Palestinian, nor [do] I have ties with the conflict. But I see genocide that has been happening for almost a century, and I see lack of support from the public, the media, and people on campus,” he said. “It makes me upset.”
Skeete said Dissenters are continuing their mission to demand that UMass cut ties with companies like Raytheon, which has been their focus for the last few semesters. “We call for UMass to cut ties with companies that send resources and weapons that support this conflict. It’s the next step to show that we are aware [that this is happening].”
Both Skeete and the co-president of SJP urged any Arab and Muslim who is feeling alone and isolated to seek community with SJP and the Office of Equity and Inclusion at UMass.
“There’s different levels of support, like coming to events,” Skeete continued. “Tonight, we’re mourning. But today and tomorrow, we’re here to support you and use all our resources to achieve our goal.”
Camila Valdez can be reached at [email protected]
