October 7 marked one year since the worst terror attack in Israel’s history that claimed 251 hostages and more than 1200 lives. On Monday, community members at Binghamton University (BU) gathered to commemorate the lives lost in the attacks and in the ongoing war that has resulted.
Provost Donald Hall, with Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Karen Jones and Vice President for Student Affairs Brian Rose, released an email to the campus community on Monday morning calling on students and faculty to engage in respectful dialogue throughout the emotionally significant day.
Beginning at 6 PM on the Peace Quad, opening remarks were given by Adira Greenwald, president of the BU Zionist Organization and a senior studying business administration, along with Gabby Gamss, the organization’s vice president and a senior studying psychology.
Rep. Marc Molinaro delivered a speech reaffirming his support of the Jewish students and community members, and afterward, a video displayed footage of the violence and devastation from the October 7 attacks. The video was played at 6:29 p.m., precisely 12 hours after Hamas initiated its 6:29 AM assault one year before.
Students lit twelve memorial candles, each one dedicated to the kibbutzim directly impacted by the tragedy, the victims, the Israeli Defense Forces, as well as Omer Neutra, an admitted student who was held captive by Hamas. Many shared stories about lives affected by the October 7 attacks. Leading the crowd in prayer, including a Misheberach for the hostages and the injured, as well as a Kaddish, were rabbis from Chabad, Meor, Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC), and Binghamton’s Beth David Synagogue.
A key feature of the event was a memorial exhibition hosted in the Mandela Room on campus. Tables with cards listed hostages’ names, accounts of the day’s events, and a map of the 251 people taken by Hamas. Posters illustrated the potential impact if similar attacks happened in the U.S., alongside personal stories of those affected. Interactive displays included a corridor showing the effect on local communities and 1,200 flowers symbolizing lives lost. Ribbons were hung to represent hostages — yellow for the living and black for the deceased — and a table allowed visitors to write letters to survivors and families.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office ordered all flags at state buildings to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the attack victims. More than 100 hostages remain in Hamas captivity.
