MOORHEAD— On Monday, Oct. 7, Concordia College Campus Ministry hosted the “Day of Deep Sadness” on the anniversary of Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. Hosted in the Centrum, organized memorial displays and a candlelight vigil space occupied the center of the room.
This event grieved innocent lives lost both during the attacks and in the year following. Signs and texts were posted around the Centrum describing Oct. 7 and the effects that it had on both Palestinian and Israeli civilians across the region.
“The (Oct. 7) Attack resulted in the highest ever civilian death toll in Israeli history in a single event, far surpassing the suicide bombings of the Second Intifada or massacres by Palestinian and Arab fighters during the 1948 war,” a text adapted from the “Jewish Currents Explainer” wrote.
On a table with the display labeled “What Happened?”,signs have descriptions of the Oct. 7 attack, how Israel was impacted after Oct. 7 and how Palestine was impacted after Oct. 7.
“There is no one response that all Israelis share,” the text adapted from “A year after October 7” read, “Many Israelis would simply like to feel safe.”
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, called for a full ban on pro-peace and anti-war demonstrations within Israel, according to the sign, however, a ceasefire protest was organized and became the largest demonstration in the countries history, with over 100,000 Israelis marching through Tel Aviv.
On Oct. 1, 2024, Reuters estimates the death toll at over 41,500 people, with a majority of victims being Gazan women and children.
“The past year, in short, has been hell for Palestinians,” the sign posted in the Centrum wrote, “and there is no respite in sight.”
Throughout the Day of Deep Sadness, there were five events hosted at the top of each hour, starting at 11:00 a.m. These events included a Sung Prayer (Healing of the Nations), Qur’an recitation, Hebrew Bible and Talmud readings, poetry readings and a second Sung Prayer (Healing of the Nations).
A table set up with the sign “Placing our People” included a large map of Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories. Small yellow stickers were available for individuals to place a dot on the map to represent different groups of people.
“As far away as Israel/Palestine may be, Concordia has many deep and deeply personal ties,” the map said, “we will use this map to share our ties.”
Individuals were encouraged to place a sticker on the map in places where they personally knew someone or communities of people, stickers if they traveled to the area and if an individual lives in the area or has family within the area.
A grief meditation display was also set up within the Centrum. Tied to hangers on a coat rack, pearls were hanging from hangers with a sign declaring each month since the Oct. 7 attack, as well as a hanger dedicated to the Oct. 7 attack. Each pearl hanging on the display represented a life lost through the Oct. 7 attack and Israel-Hamas War.
“Wonder about each of them,” the display read, “each pearl is a life.”
Individuals were also welcome to light a candle within the vigil and place it with other candles lit within the vigil space.
For additional information about the Day of Deep Sadness or upcoming events, Pastor Dave Adams and Anne Mocko, Director for Interfaith Engagement, were listed as contact points on Cobber Connect. You can reach them at dadams6@cord.edu and amocko@cord.edu, respectively.
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