On May 13, the Rohr Chabad Center at Dartmouth and Hillel at Dartmouth co-hosted a candlelight vigil on the Green in remembrance of fallen Israeli soldiers and victims of terrorism. The event honored Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s national memorial day for fallen soldiers.
The event began at 7:00 p.m. with attendees lighting candles passed out by the organizers. Chabad treasurer and secretary Ruby Benjamin ’26 gave a welcome address. Chabad president Mia Steinberg ’25 then recited the English poem “The Silver Platter” by Israeli poet Nathan Alterman.
Chabad director Rabbi Moshe Leib Gray spoke about the importance of remembrance in the Jewish tradition and the need to “memorialize” individuals who have “given their lives for Israel.”
“Jewish people are instructed in the Torah, ‘Zachor’ — to always remember and to never forget,” Gray said. “Today, we remember and honor all the young men and women who gave their lives protecting Israel and the Jewish people since 1948, and earlier, and [through] all the wars and terror attacks. And today, we also remember and memorialize the 834 civilian victims of terror since Oct. 7 and the thousands more from previous terror attacks.”
Anthropology professor Sergei Kan addressed the crowd and said “never again is now.”
Chabad board member Samantha Lofman ’24 sang the Hebrew song “Etzlenu BaGan.” Hillel Rabbi Seth Linfield then spoke on “reaffirming our right to remember, to mourn and to stand together as a community.”
“We stand in the shadow of great sorrow, yet also in the light of immense hope,” Linfield said. “Today we recognize those who dared to dream of a homeland bathed in peace and prosperity, and [those] who made the ultimate sacrifice to advance that animating vision.”
Linfield noted the “unity” and “resilience” that has emerged in the Jewish community since Oct. 7, adding that “visibility is a form of resistance” against hate.
“It is a declaration that we are here, we are strong and hate will not silence us,” Linfield said. “The power of community arises from the strength we derive from our shared beliefs and collective.”
After Linfield’s address, Simone Feinblum ’27 recited the poem “Happy are those who fade at night” by Arieh Uri. Benjamin then spoke about Eli Kay, an Israeli soldier who was killed in 2021 by terrorists in Jerusalem. Lofman also spoke about Kay’s death.
“Eli’s friends and family spoke of his energy and love for Israel,” Lofman said. “They told me how much it meant to them that I, who had never met their son in person, felt connected enough to him to mourn with the family.”
Lofman sang the Hebrew song “Ke’ev shel lochamim.” After this, a siren sound, which plays in Israel every year on Yom HaZikaron, was shared with the attendees, concluding the service.
Following the event, Alex Breslav ’25 said the vigil was “very important” to him because he has family members in Israel.
“I think it’s just important to show up and show that there is this presence on campus,” Breslav said.
Lofman said she was “honored” to contribute to the vigil, adding that she felt a “lack of understanding” from the Dartmouth campus toward the Jewish community.
“I think a lot of the Jewish community wishes that we could engage more and have more meaningful conversations with others about everything going on, and we’re always happy to talk,” Lofman said.
Steinberg added that many students on campus felt the need to mourn and that it was important to provide that space.
“I think [mourning] in public is a really important way of showing that we’re still here, we’re not going to cower and we’re not going to hide away, even though things feel very tense here,” Steinberg said.
Olivia Becker ’25, who attended the vigil, said “remembrance is of the utmost importance” in Judaism, adding that the organizers of the event did “an incredible job.”
“[The event] evoked real emotion and feeling and was peaceful and solemn, [with] a combination of English and Hebrew song and prose,” Becker said. “And I’m really grateful that we did it.”
