On October 9, 2025, as dusk settled over the UCLA campus, a solemn gathering took place at Meyerhoff Park. Nearly 90 community members, many adorned with yellow ribbons and hostage pins, assembled for a vigil marking two years since the Hamas attacks on Israel that shook the world on October 7, 2023. The atmosphere was heavy with remembrance, hope, and a longing for peace—emotions that have only grown more complex as the reverberations of that day continue to unfold.
The 2023 attacks by Hamas, the Palestinian political party and militant group, targeted Israeli villages and the Supernova music festival near Re’im in the Negev desert. According to the Associated Press, the violence claimed the lives of about 1,200 people and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. The tragedy extended far beyond the immediate victims, leaving survivors and their families grappling with loss and trauma that, for some, has proven insurmountable.
One such story is that of Roei Shalev, a 29-year-old who attended the Nova festival with his girlfriend, Mapal Adam, and their friend, Hilly Solomon. As reported by Sky News, the trio’s night of celebration turned to terror when rocket fire and gunmen descended on the festival grounds. After a frantic escape attempt, they sought shelter under abandoned cars. Roei tried to shield Mapal from the hail of bullets, but she was killed beneath him. Hilly was also shot dead. Roei, wounded and covered in blood, survived by playing dead for seven agonizing hours until the Israeli army found him alive.
The aftermath of that day was devastating for Roei. Just a week after losing his girlfriend and best friend, his mother, Raffaela, took her own life, unable to bear the pain. “In just one week, I lost three of the most important women to me in the world,” Roei later wrote. The trauma haunted him, but he drew strength from therapy and the support of others, eventually sharing his journey publicly to inspire and comfort fellow survivors. He even renamed the family bakery he’d run with Mapal to "Mapal Cafe," organizing commemorative events to honor her and Hilly’s memory. "Amidst the pain and sorrow, I hold onto one truth: we will dance again," he posted a year after the attack.
Yet, as the second anniversary approached, Roei’s pain intensified. On October 7, 2025, he posted on Instagram: "Two years have passed since the most terrible day of my life... and of a whole country. The longing for you is only getting bigger, the pain does not pass with time. It is always there, everywhere, all the time. I'm full of pain this year, even more than last year." Three days later, Roei posted a final note expressing that he "can't go on anymore." A frantic search ended with the tragic discovery of his body inside a burning car near Poleg Beach in Netanya, Israel, on October 11, 2025. Police have opened an investigation into his death.
Back at UCLA, the vigil held by Jewish organizations—including Hillel at UCLA, Chabad at UCLA, Bruins for Israel, Olami, Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, and the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group—served as a space for collective mourning and reflection. The event began with a silent remembrance walk from Hillel at UCLA to Meyerhoff Park. Attendees held photographs of hostages, recited prayers for Israel and its military forces, and sang the Israeli national anthem alongside traditional Jewish songs. The timing of the vigil, coinciding with Sukkot—the Jewish harvest festival—added a layer of emotional complexity, as the holiday is typically a time of joy and celebration.
Joshua Grines, president of Olami, spoke of his personal connection to the attacks, recalling that he was in Jerusalem as part of a gap year program when the violence erupted. He noted the rise in antisemitism both abroad and in the United States since that day. “May we honor those we lost by carrying their light into every moment, and may we continue to pray for the speedy release of all the remaining hostages by the end of this week,” Grines said. He added, "Now – two years later – on Oct. 8, 2025, I was so happy to see that our hostages are coming home. A true full circle moment."
The prospect of peace seemed closer than ever when President Donald Trump announced on October 8, 2025, that Israel and Hamas had agreed to implement the first phase of a peace deal. According to Reuters, the deal involves the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners—a development that brought a sense of hope to many in the community.
Felicia Knaul, an associate of the chancellor and distinguished professor of medicine, emphasized the responsibility of students and leaders to fight for peace and justice. "We stand to manifest our dedication and determination against violence, against antisemitism, against hatred and against injustice in all of its forms – to continue to make our campus, our school and our community into a beacon of light," she said.
Security was a visible concern throughout the evening. Daniel Gold, executive director of Hillel at UCLA, explained that the organization coordinated with the UCLA Police Department (UCPD) and campus security, resulting in about 20 officers present to ensure the safety of attendees. "Whether we do a public event, whether we have a holiday celebration, inside of a Jewish institution or a public space, we’re always very aware of security," Gold said. "It’s unique every time, and we don’t necessarily look at previous events, and so we’re thankful to the university for being there to help us provide security."
For many, the vigil was about more than remembering the past; it was about forging a path forward. Noam Lazarov, cultural director of Bruins for Israel, spoke of the importance of standing together in the face of violence, drawing on his personal connection to Israel as someone who grew up there. Jaden Penhaskashi, president of Bruins for Israel, reflected on the mixed emotions of the day and the hope inspired by news of the hostage deal. "It was announced that Israel and Hamas has made a hostage deal, which has put a lot of hope in our hearts looking on the horizon and knowing that peace is possible between Israelis and Palestinians and that all of the Israeli hostages that we have been waiting to come home for over two years now are finally going to be able to see their families for the first time," Penhaskashi said.
Penhaskashi also extended an invitation to the wider UCLA community, emphasizing that the vigil was for everyone. "Our door is open for anyone who wants to be a part of that togetherness because at the end of the day – no matter who you stand for – the whole point of UCLA is to be together in grieving the lives of Palestinians, grieving the lives of Israelis and to wish for peace ahead," he said. "It’s not a two-sided issue. It’s all of us hoping for life, peace and love in the future to come."
As the candles flickered on the Meyerhoff Park lawn and voices joined in song, the memory of those lost on October 7, 2023, and the tragedies that followed—including the heartbreak of Roei Shalev’s story—remained palpable. Yet, the vigil stood as a testament to resilience and the enduring hope that, despite unimaginable pain, communities can come together to mourn, heal, and look toward a more peaceful tomorrow.
