Hillels around the world celebrated Sukkot, which overlapped with the two-year anniversary of October 7th, by turning the festival into an opportunity for celebration and reflections. Many campuses offered dual programming, ensuring students had festive Sukkot events like “Sushi in the Sukkah” as well as October 7th remembrance programs. This allowed students to enjoy the holiday while also giving them a space to reflect and grieve.

To mark the two-year anniversary of October 7th, Hillels at hundreds of schools organized events on campus focused on memory, resilience, and community. Programs ranged from visible public displays, survivor testimonies, and communal gatherings that often integrated the traditions of Sukkot, which coincided with the date. These events provided Jewish students with a safe space as well as a strengthened sense of community on a difficult day.

Oregon Hillel and Ducks for Israel hosted a candlelight vigil to mark the two-year anniversary of the October 7th attacks. The event featured prayers, poems, readings of hostage names, and powerful personal reflections from students who recently visited the October 7th sites in Israel. Students emphasized that despite the rising antisemitism on campus, communal events like this remain critically important for rebuilding the community and bringing hope.

Since October 7th, Syracuse University has prioritized bridge-building and supporting interfaith dialogue. Guided by a friendship between the Hillel campus Rabbi and campus Imam, a Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Fellowship began to provide students with a way to share culture and religion. The personal connections and empathy created a safe space for understanding differing opinions and dialogue rather than heated debate. While not immune to escalated conflict, this fellowship gave students a different way to approach challenging subjects.

Over 150 people gathered at Penn Hillel to hear Hagit and Ruby Chen, the parents of Itay Chen whose body remains in Hamas captivity, speak about their son’s capture during the October 7th attacks and their ongoing work on behalf of the remaining hostages. Penn Hillel, Chabad at Penn, and the Penn Israel Public Affairs Committee sponsored the event, and attendees received purple bracelets with Itay’s name as a symbol of solidarity.

Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach and Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) Catholic Owls group held a collaborative dinner to encourage meaningful conversations between Jewish and Catholic students at FAU about faith, culture, and community. The organizations paired games like trivia about Catholic and Jewish traditions with guided discussion, and provided a kosher taco bar for dinner.