MSA, JVP, and Nishmat host vigil for Palestinians and Lebanese killed in genocide on anniversary of Oct. 7

On Oct. 7 at 4:30 p.m., over 80 students and faculty gathered at the Scripps Bowling Green Lawn at a vigil for Palestine and Lebanon hosted by the Muslim Students Association, Nishmat, and Jewish Voice for Peace. In recognition of the one-year anniversary of the Zionist entity’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, organizers of the event gave speeches, read poetry and lead the group in prayer before handing out flowers, candles, and images of those murdered in the ongoing genocide.

“We are here because we reject the propaganda of the Zionist entity that lied in front of our eyes as they perpetrate on the Palestinian and Lebanese people, waves of terrorism while claiming to defense against it,” a speaker from MSA said, emphasizing the toll the last year has had on those in Gaza and now Lebanon. “Those who hold the reins of power have turned away from justice, and the hand that should protect has become the hand that strikes.”

Speakers also called for accountability from the Claremont Colleges.

“I stand here on Scripps campus, so I ask where are the voices that once defended the weak, where are the liberals that lectured us on human rights, the loudspeakers of self-righteousness that boomed from these colleges, declaring allegiance to black civil rights and ending the subjugation of women,” the MSA speaker continued.  “Endlessly posturing in self-righteousness, the liberal leaders of these campuses have suddenly become silent at the crushed skulls and toddlers burnt alive in their sleep because it may bleed their pockets.”

“The profound cruelty and destitution the Palestinian people have experienced will forever be a stain on humanity,” a speaker from JVP said.  “The blame will forever fall on Israel, the US, and complicit corporations and institutions, including our colleges.”

“For 76 years, the Israeli government has exploited and distorted our millenia-old Jewish tradition to justify occupation, apartheid, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide,” another speaker from JVP said.

Faculty speakers also read poetry by Palestinian-American poet Fady Joudah, Lebanese-American poet Etel Adnan, Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha, as well as expressing support for student organizers and lamenting the lack of response from the Claremont Colleges and the United States as a whole.

Speakers from Nishmat then led the vigil in the Mourner’s Kaddish. They explained that the prayer was “to honor someone who has died and to comfort those who have experienced a loss,” and said that while “grief is a deeply personal experience, the Mourner’s Kaddish is always recited when we are with our community.”

The programming ended with Nishmat leading the vigil in Mi Sheberach, a Jewish prayer for healing loved ones. Afterwards, attendees hung images of murdered Gazans on the tree and placed flowers and candles around the base.

During the vigil, Director of Campus Safety Mike Hallinan stood by nearby Balch Auditorium, next to a golf cart carrying an LRAD, a “sonic weapon” that Campus Safety first used to disperse a protest at Harvey Mudd College earlier this semester. Campus Safety did not use the LRAD on this occasion, or approach vigil attendees.

The vigil materials were removed — to Undercurrents’ knowledge, by Scripps facilities workers — by next day.

This article was publisihed on Nov. 9, 2024 and backdated to Oct. 8, 2024 for browsing convenience.