COLUMBUS, Ohio — Over the weekend, Israel confirmed six hostages captured by Hamas were found dead in Gaza.
Among them, American-born Hersh Goldberg-Polin.
The news has led to protests in Israel, and on Monday, more than a hundred people gathered on Ohio State’s campus to remember the hostages.
“We are out here to support each other, to find comfort to strengthen ourselves, the students, the world and make sure that no one will break us, that we will not be shattered and even though our hearts and souls are hurting and are in pain no one will break the Jewish people,” said Sarah Deitsch, Program Director for OSU’s Schottenstein Chabad House.
For Jewish students at Ohio State, they said learning about the death of the hostages is like losing a family member.
“I think the message we want to spread is when something bad happens in Judaism, when there is darkness, we dispel the darkness with light. We gather in unity, we celebrate the lives of the people we lost and we focus on the good in Judaism rather than the bad,” said Jordan Vandersluis, a senior.
Ohio State freshman Joseph Feiler was in Israel for a gap year during the attack on Oct. 7.
“I woke up to sirens blaring and I was scared. Probably the most scared I have ever been in my life,” he said.
Feiler was glad to see the support for the Jewish community at Ohio State with his new peers.
“It is amazing to have the support here and see this today especially since one of the hostages killed was American which hits home even more so to have the support here today is amazing its incredible,” Feiler said.
Students acknowledged there has been tension on campus between groups in support of Palestine. They hope to eventually find some common ground, but Vandersluis said discussion on a ceasefire cannot happen until the rest of the hostages in Gaza are released.
“Really what we want is peace we all want a ceasefire but that can’t happen without the hostages coming home,” she said.
10TV reached out to Students for Justice in Palestine for a response.