Amidst the noise of the every day, holding memorials and vigils on campus has given the Bucknell community an opportunity to truly take in a moment of silence. On Monday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. in the MacDonald Commons, Bucknell Hillel in collaboration with the Chabad of Lewisburg held a memorial and created one of these community spaces, in remembrance of the lives lost on Oct. 7, 2023. Oct. 7 holds importance because, in the wake of the Israel-Palestine war, this date marks the most deadly attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust—and this past Monday marked its one year anniversary. Through a campus-wide email, this opportunity was extended beyond Bucknell’s Jewish community and invited any member of campus to join the memorial.
The service began with welcome remarks from Bucknell’s Rabbi Jessica Goldberg. “That day did not just take our friends and cousins from us,” said Rabbi Goldberg, “it took away our sense of safety, it shattered our certainty in the impermeability of the Jewish state, and it shook our confidence in those we saw as our allies. It reminded us that Never Again is Now.”
Her remarks closed out with a reminder to the attendees to “let themselves” express grief, be broken, remember, mourn and, last but not least, “resist and survive once again.”
Next, Mariasha Baumgarten of Lewisburg Chabad held a teaching moment for the attendees, so that the event became space not only for mourning, but also for learning about the realities of this ongoing conflict. Following that, Michael Leschner ’26 shared a personal story relating to his experiences with the war.
Leschner’s close friend from his high school years, Edan, joined the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) following his graduation.
“He was a soldier even before he joined the IDF,” said Leschner, “a warrior that you always want in your corner no matter what.”
The last time Leschner saw Edan was on Aug. 14, 2023, prior to his sophomore year at Bucknell, and the last time he texted him was Oct. 8, 2023—Edan had been taken hostage in Gaza.
“The Pro-Israel rally in D.C. was the first time I saw Edan’s family since Edan was kidnapped,” said Leschner. “The 100 Days in captivity march in N.Y.C. was supposed to be the last walk before I got to see my brother again. The 200 days in captivity march in Central Park was then supposed to be the last march before Edan and the rest of the hostages came home. 300 days in captivity followed shortly after. Now it’s been a year without hearing [his] voice. The only thing I ask for and pray for every day is to be reunited with the soul that lights up any place he enters.”
Leschner closed out his speech with a reminder that Edan is just one hostage story among many others. “Am Yisrael Chai,” he concluded.
The service ended with memorial prayers, a prayer for Israel and a prayer for the return of the hostages by Rabbi Baumgarten, Hillel adviser Professor Tom Solomon and Rabbi Goldberg.
Other notable attendees of the memorial include Hillel student leaders Maya Fetzer ’26 and Eliza Horne ’27 as well as Chabad student leaders Aliyah Cohen ’26 and Yali Amsili ’26. In an email, Fetzer shared with “The Bucknellian” some reflections on the service.
“This was an important event for the Bucknell Jewish community; it was our time to mourn and our time to heal,” said Fetzer. “At Hillel, I see and work with other Jewish students every week to create a space that feels warm, happy and safe. Before Oct. 7, 2023, this usually wasn’t a hard thing to accomplish. After the terrorist attacks in Israel, I saw the joy in our campus community shatter.
“One thing that I think was most impactful about the memorial was the call for mitzvah,” she continued. “A mitzvah is simply a good deed that a person can do. As we mourn the loss of life and hope for the safe return of the hostages, we are called to put more goodness into the world and to use action to bring the world towards peace.”
“If everyone can take one thing from the one-year mark of Oct. 7, it is this: our community is still praying for peace, praying for the end of the war and the safe return of the hostages, and we will continue to put peace into the world until this goal is achieved,” Letzer concluded.
Those interested in any upcoming events that Hillel at Bucknell may be holding can look to their Instagram @hillel_bucknell or Hillel at Bucknell on Facebook. The section on Bucknell’s website encompassing “Jewish Life at Bucknell” also includes a comprehensive list of recurring events and other available services.
