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Remembering Oct. 7 and learning about Israel, Gaza, and the Middle East

Encina Commons archway

Throughout fall quarter, there are different opportunities for the Stanford community to remember and reflect on the impacts of Oct. 7 and to learn more broadly about the region and its history.

Monday marks one year since the Hamas attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Over the past 12 months, violence has unfolded across the region. Many in the Stanford community have been deeply affected by these events, experiencing feelings of loss and uncertainty about the future.

In the past year, scholars, students, and staff have sought ways to help one another understand a conflict with deep historical roots and have organized events and discussions to address what is often described as one of the world’s most intractable conflicts.

This quarter – including the week ahead – there are further opportunities for the community to come together to reflect and learn more about the conflict and its ongoing impacts.

Reflection and collective remembrance

Starting Monday, the Office for Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) will provide “Holding Each Other Through A Difficult Week: Open Sanctuary Space,” offering community members a quiet space for prayer and reflection. Chaplains will be available for spiritual care and support.

ORSL will hold a moment of silence every day at 4 p.m. followed by tea and a space to be together in conversations. No RSVP is necessary, attend as needed. The sanctuary will be open:

Monday and Tuesday: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursday: 1 to 5 p.m.

Hillel, which helps support Stanford’s Jewish community, will host a memorial ceremony on Oct. 7 in Meyer Green from noon to 1 p.m. that will feature candle lighting, prayer, and poetry recitals led by students, faculty, and staff. Therapists will facilitate sharing circles in Hebrew and English from 10 a.m. to noon. Hillel will also be holding space for reflection between 1 to 5 p.m.

From 6 to 7:30 p.m., a survivor of the Nova massacre will also speak about his experience on Oct. 7. The day will close with a walk from Hillel to Meyer Green for a memorial closing featuring prayer and song. 

An exhibit of pictures by the Israeli photojournalist Zvi Koren taken on Oct. 7 and in its aftermath will be on view for members of the campus community in the Koret Pavilion from Oct. 8-14.

The Markaz Resource Center, which supports students who identify with or are interested in Muslim experiences, is organizing a series of support groups for students, staff, faculty, and other impacted people through their Muslim Mental Health Initiative. In addition, a clinician from Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) will be providing “Let's Talk In Community” sessions from noon to 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays every week starting Oct. 10.

Student organizations and groups are also holding remembrances on Oct. 7 and beyond.

These include a vigil in White Plaza from 6 to 9 p.m. organized by Stanford Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

The Stanford Israel Association (SIA) will set up an installation of over a hundred chairs to represent hostages in Gaza that will be on display from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 7. SIA will also hold a vigil at Meyer Green at 7:30 p.m. 

Educational and informative events

Throughout October and November, other events are happening across campus.

For more events, please check events.stanford.edu. In addition, further events are being planned and will be posted there.

Learning opportunities for current students

Matriculated students have access to various courses exploring the evolution of the conflict.

This quarter, Joel Beinin, Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History and professor of Middle East history, emeritus, is teaching HISTORY 88: Palestine, Zionism, Israel: 150 Years of Conflict.

Beinin’s research and writing focus on the social and cultural history and political economy of modern Egypt, Palestine, and Israel and on U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Beinin will also deliver a lecture, titled “Understanding October 7, 2023, and Israel’s War on the Gaza Strip,” to students taking HISTORY 1: History of 2024, a course that provides a historical perspective on current events. The course will also feature a lecture by Amir Weiner, an associate professor of history, titled “Israel 2024: Domestic and External Challenges.”

Other courses that touch upon the Middle East can be viewed on ExploreCourses.