One year after the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel, which threw college campuses across the United States into turmoil, The Sun sat down with Jewish student leaders to understand the impact Oct. 7 had on their lives.
Oct. 7 saw the worst massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust. Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State since 1997, killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage.
Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip over the last year, killing more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The Gaza Ministry of Health does not distinguish civilians and Hamas soldiers in its numbers.
“It's been really challenging that the Jewish community, not just at Cornell, but all over the world, is hurting,” said Melanie Schwartz ’25, president of Cornell Hillel. “It feels like Oct. 7 wasn't just one day — it feels never-ending and it's been a privilege leading during this time, but it's been very challenging, and I know that my community is hurting.”
Netanel Shapira ’25, president of Cornellians for Israel, reflected on his personal ties to the Oct. 7 attack as an Israeli student.
“Oct. 7 was [for me,] like how my parents, who were in New York for 9/11, describe what it felt like in the moment — it felt like that times a million,” Shapira said. “The attack is as personal as it gets — my friends were at [the] Nova [music festival, and] I have friends who are soldiers who subsequently went to serve in Gaza.”
Following the attack, about 750 members of the Cornell and Ithaca community joined together on Oct. 11, 2023, to mourn the lives of those lost on Oct. 7.
Prof. Russell Rickford, history, said he was “exhilarated“ by the Hamas-led attack on Israel at a pro-Palestine rally in Ithaca Commons held on Oct. 15. His statement was widely condemned, including by University leadership. He later apologized and took a voluntary leave of absence for the academic year, which he returned from this fall.
Following his remarks, some petitions called for the dismissal of Rickford, while others defended the professor, each gaining thousands of signatures. Black Students United, following Rickford’s remarks, released an Instagram post defending him.
Rickford, despite the backlash from his previous comments, is still involved in on and off-campus activism and continues to teach students.
Shapira said that following the first vigil, statements from pro-Palestinian organizations and activists caused Jewish students to feel uncomfortable and unsupported following the attacks.
“What was so terrible about what was going on, is the fact that there is a group of students that celebrates [the Oct. 7 attack], that feels, to quote their professor that they look up to, exhilarated and excited by the attacks and rapes and murders of civilians,” Shapira said. “It's quite unfortunate that you almost feel not only not supported on your own campus, but rather attacked.”
Reacting to Rickford still having a platform on campus, Ezra Galperin ’27, at-large student assembly representative, reflected on the implications of the professors’ words and the concern of him still teaching this semester.
“Professor Rickford's comments were objectively abhorrent — there's no defending his comments,” Galperin said. “I do think based on those comments, we should be really concerned about what's happening in his classroom — if he's exhilarated by the rape and murder of Jews, what kind of environment is he going to create for Jewish students in his classroom?”
On Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, 2023, several threatening messages were posted by former Cornell student Patrick Dai on Greekrank forums, directly targeting the Jewish community. One post threatened a shooting at 104West!, the location of the Center for Jewish Living and the kosher dining hall. Dai was sentenced to 21 months in prison in August for posting threats to kill or injure another using interstate communications.
Schwartz explained the concerns that Jewish students felt after learning about the threats posted on Greekrank.
“I was scared to walk to class alone,” Schwartz said. “I had to go to class on Monday morning knowing that there was someone out there at our school who believed those things or if they didn't believe it, at least, believed it enough to put it out there on the internet.”
Benjamin Malekan ’25, co-president of the Center for Jewish Living, explained that following Dai’s threats, many residents became concerned for their safety.
“I was the house manager of the Center for Jewish Living [at the time] and a lot of the residents were very concerned about their safety, whether or not they should be able to sleep in the house,” Malekan said. “A bunch of residents actually moved during those few nights — they slept at friends' houses in different areas in Ithaca.”
Following the threats, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) met with students and members of the CJL. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff also talked with Jewish student leaders to discuss campus antisemitism.
Galperin, who currently serves as the house manager for the CJL, explained how seeing Hochul made the Jewish community feel supported on campus.
“It was really touching to see the state come to our aid so rapidly,” Galperin said. “The governor of New York is a busy person and within something like 12 hours she was in our living room, reassuring us that no harm would come to us.”
Malekan reflected that despite the concern from residents, the support from those in and out of the Cornell community meant a lot in helping students.
“I think the most beautiful thing is that we had so much support from not just national leadership but had parents of Cornell students, alumni people who we never even met before sending us food, making sure we were safe, sending us gift cards, both Jewish and non-Jewish, Malekan said.
Another important campus event was the creation of a pro-Palestinian encampment on campus on April 25, where until May 15, students took over a section of the Arts Quad and erected tents. Cornell encampment was established following the creation of “liberated zones” by pro-Palestinian activists on other college campuses.
Malekan explained that he believes the administration did not adequately enforce its policies when considering the impact of the encampment on Jewish students.
“The encampment represents a complete failure on Cornell's part to enforce their own policies,” Malekan said. “It's very difficult for a lot of your students to have to walk past those things every day when they go to class — I think if Cornell is going to make policies, they should be able to enforce them, and not hold double standards allowing them in some places [rather] than others.”
Shapira further highlighted how the encampment showcases the need for the administration to better enforce its rules and ensure that opinions are expressed in a way that aligns with University policy.
Shapira said that although he feels safe on campus, protests and events like the encampment could concern Jewish students due to the language used by protestors.
“I just feel it's just not really in my nature to, almost to succumb to the feelings of fear,” Shapira said. “But I can totally understand students feeling unsafe — I mean, when there are calls for intifada on campus and people all masked up so that nobody knows who they are it is very reasonable to feel unsafe and experience those emotions and that feeling because at the end of the day, Intifada is a chant that's the calling to murder Jews.”
The word “intifada” translates to “to shake off” in Arabic. The word intifada is often associated with two Palestinian uprisings, periods of violence and bloodshed in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Organizers of the encampment were also joined by the Cornell chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, a Jewish anti-Zionist organization that advocates for Palestinian liberation. A representative from JVP did not respond to a request for an interview from The Sun.
Galperin reflected that despite the tragedy of Oct. 7, 2023 — and the events that have followed on campus — has brought the Jewish community at Cornell together.
“I think there's a lot of work to be done in how the University administration is handling the current situation, but ultimately, this community is closer than it ever has been,” Galperin said. “Despite anyone's best efforts, that's not going to change — we are going to continue to grow closer as a community and we are going to continue fighting for what we know is right, that is a safe campus environment for Jewish students and the release of the remaining hostages.”
Schwartz echoed that the Jewish community has continuously supported each other over the past year.
“Oct. 7 was the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust, and it wasn't just one day — this has been a long year, and it's been a tough year,” Schwartz said. “The community at Cornell is strong, and we've come together — I know that's my support system, and I hope it's other people's support system as well — and we will continue standing together and fight for what's right.”
Matthew Kiviat is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is the assistant managing editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and was a news editor for the 142nd Editorial Board. He can be reached at mkiviat@cornellsun.com.
