“All of a sudden, the joy I was having with my friends turned into something completely different,” Atir Vinnikov, a survivor of the Nova Music Festival massacre and Israeli army sharpshooter, told a crowd of about 40 at a Tuesday night Cornell Hillel event.
Throughout the week of Oct. 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel, Hillel organized four events, including a vigil, a talk from Vinnikov, a documentary screening and a Torah lesson, to honor those taken hostage and killed.
A vigil at Ho Plaza on Monday, Oct. 7 marked the start of the memorial week, where 500 attendees came together, some draped in Israeli flags and many holding candles, to mourn and pray for victims and those held hostage from the Hamas-led attack one year ago.
At the Tuesday night talk, Vinnikov said he was at the Nova Music Festival, about a mile from the Gaza Strip, when, at about 6:30 a.m., rockets began firing nearby. Vinnikov and his friends evacuated, seeking shelter in nearby fields until a local Bedouin man sheltered him in his home.
Vinnikov said he owes his life to this man, with whom he still keeps in contact.
Maya Weisberg ’26, vice president of Hillel, said that the vigil and the evening with Vinnikov helped Jewish Cornellians grieve together and offer each other support.
“The vigil was really impactful because we had a large number of people, and it makes you realize that you’re not alone,” Weisberg said. “[These events] provide a space to come together and remind each other that we’re strong and resilient and that we’re going to get through this.”
Cornell University Police were stationed directly outside of both the Vinnikov talk and the vigil. Weisberg further commented on the significance of having a safe environment for
Jewish students on campus to gather together, especially in times of tragedy.
“Especially in the face of rising antisemitism and hostile campus climate at times, to see so many people come out and support makes people feel like they have a place on campus and that their experience is valid,” Weisberg said.
On Wednesday, Oct. 9, Hillel also collaborated with Cornellians for Israel for the screening of the documentary “Supernova: The Music Festival Massacre.” Members of the clubs gathered to watch the documentary, which featured interviews with survivors and videos taken as Hamas gunmen fired on Nova Music Festival revelers.
At the end of the film, the atmosphere was somber as members participated in a Q&A session with Yossi Bloch, a co-creator of the film. Netanel Shapira ‘25, the president of Cornellians for Israel, moderated the Q&A with Bolch.
When asked about what the most difficult part of creating this film was, Bolch said it was most devastating to see how innocent party-goers who were trying to celebrate were killed.
“It’s both a gift and a curse in our world today that we can almost be teleported into events that we weren’t directly a part of through footage, audio, testimony,” Shapira said. “Movies like these are never easy to watch but at the end of the day, bearing witness is our duty and responsibility.”
Hillel’s final event to commemorate the victims of Oct. 7 came on Thursday, one day before Yom Kippur, the holiest holiday in the Jewish calendar. The event was a Mishmar, or Torah lesson, in memory of the hostages. Students gathered to learn about hostage laws in the Torah to wish for the release of hostages, reflecting the Jewish custom of mitzvot, or doing good deeds.
With Yom Kippur having started Friday evening, four days after the one-year anniversary of the Hamas-led attack, Jewish student leaders told The Sun that the holiday comes as an opportunity to reflect on the past year.
“For me as an Israeli student, it’s hard to have that dichotomy of where you need a community on one day and a day where you are used to reflecting on your own,” Shapira said. “[Yom Kippur] is our day to reflect on the year but at the same time, nothing trumps giving this horrible anniversary the respect and importance it deserves.”
Ashley Lee and Rowan Wallin are Sun contributors and can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected].