By Currier Times Staff including Will Gilson, Olivia Perron, Michael Templeton, Skylar Carrignan, Michael Ouellette, Isabella Marchant///

Curry College students gathered in the James P. O’Toole Chapel on October 16th for a vigil about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Chairs were arranged in a small circle as students, faculty, staff, and administrators passed around a stone and expressed their thoughts and support.

The vigil involved prayers and singing of the Israeli national anthem in Hebrew with a small table lighted with candles in the center.

Ian Mevorach, the Director of Spiritual Life at Curry, hopes the vigil encourages support among members of the Curry community.

“These tragic violent events in Israel and Gaza have upset many community members who are grieving or processing the violence,” Mevorach said. “Having a vigil is a way for people to come together and share their pain and also find comfort and support. It’s all about being together so you feel less alone with the weight of it.”

The coordinator for Curry’s Hillel Chapter, Hannah Taylor, helped organize the service and was grateful for the support Hillel has received.

“The gathering we had on Monday was a meaningful chance for students, faculty, staff, and administrators to come together and process what is happening during this difficult time,” said Taylor. She said she appreciated the support from Curry’s President, Jay Gonzalez, and Eric Muurisepp, the V.P. of Student Affairs.

Taylor added that students wishing to talk further can visit during her office hours held on Monday and Wednesday afternoons in Room 153 in the back of the Student Center.

The war started on October 7th when Hamas, a group the United States government has declared a terrorist organization, crossed from Gaza into Israel killing Israelis in their homes, on roads, and at an open-air music festival. At the time of this publication, media reports estimated more than 1,500 Israelis had been killed.

Israel launched counter-attacks into Gaza, one of the most heavily populated regions in the world. The small land area is sandwiched in between Israel and Egypt and a humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians fleeing the war is now unfolding.

Many Curry students, faculty and staff have been impacted by the war.

Ned Bradford, director of the Academic Enrichment Center at Curry, said his partner has relatives located in many parts of Israel. The family, he said, were in Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the last time anything of this magnitude has hit the country.

“The worry is constant, the communication between him and his family is frequent, and there is a lot of anger,” said Bradford. “They are a strong family, though, who have endured a lot before this.”

Students across campus are following the conflict but many say the history in the area is complicated.

“I feel like Israel has been going to war with the Middle East for like, thousands of years,” said Kevin Lundy, a Freshman, Undecided student. “Hopefully the war ends quickly.”

Freshman, Andre Hamilton, said it was an important story. “I always keep it in the back of my mind. Just like, why? Like, why is this happening?” said Hamilton.

Jack Hallal, a Communication major, said it is also difficult for the United States. “I can’t even imagine being the leader of this country at the moment because obviously Israel is one of our biggest allies,” said Hallal. “And you know, I’m not physically there in Israel. So we don’t really honestly know how bad it is.”

Curry President, Jay Gonzalez, expressed his sorrow on behalf of the college in an email this past weekend.

“It is hard for any of us to process human tragedy at this scale,” Gonzalez said. “And it affects each of us as fellow human beings.”

He said he wanted to acknowledge the pain so many in the Curry community feel. Curry’s counseling center also offered support and let students know that they can call them at 617-333-2908.