Staff report
Bloomington, Indiana – October 16, 2023
A small group of slightly more than a dozen Indiana University students gathered on Monday afternoon on a sidewalk near the Kelley School of Business as part of the Alpha Epsilon Pi “Display of Jewish Strength.” They read the names of some of the more than 1300 individuals who lost their lives in last week’s Hamas attack.
Addressing those gathered, Rabbi Sue Silberberg mentioned, “We’d be here until tomorrow if we read all 1300 names.” It’s important to note that the list does not include many civilian casualties or the names of nearly 200 hostages held by the terrorist group.
Rabbi Levi Cunin also assisted in reading the names and helped collect donations as a good deed, known as a mitzvah in Hebrew, to pay tribute to the deceased. Cunin reported that they collected almost $100, which will be donated.
Silberberg later displayed a photo of a wall situated between the Israeli village of Nativ Asareh and the Gaza border. The wall bore the words “Wall of Peace” in Arabic, English, and Hebrew. The village had been attacked during the incursion last week and was largely destroyed. Silberberg stated that many village residents, including children, lost their lives at the hands of Hamas.
The full extent of the attack is still becoming clear, as many civilian names have not been released to allow family members to be notified before learning about the fate of their loved ones through social media.
