A survivor of the October 7, 2023, attack on the Kibbutz Kfar Aza village in Israel will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the Gutterman Family Center, located inside Penn State Hillel on South Garner Street, on Tuesday, October 8. The event is open to the Jewish community and supporters in light of the losses that occurred in Gaza during the terror attack from Hamas.

Last year, the village of Kibbutz Kfar Aza was attacked by Hamas militia, killing over 100 Israelis. Kibbutz suffered the largest loss of every Israeli village that was impacted by the attacks. The attacks lead to hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries.

Penn State Hillel serves as the foundation for Jewish campus life at Penn State. With roughly 5,000 Jewish students on campus, the organization aims to provide them with a space and community full of social, cultural, religious, and educational activities.

In commemoration of the genocide, the foundation has scheduled several events throughout the week to give support and grievance counseling to the Jewish community and students.

On Monday, therapists were available from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. to console students and community members. A vigil, which began at 5:15 p.m. at the Gutterman Family Center and concluded at 7 p.m. in front of Old Main, took place and paid respects to the losses while offering support to the community. The event was also available online and was the start of several more vigils that will occur on and around campus this week.

For more information on upcoming events and support for the Jewish community, visit Penn State Hillel’s website or Instagram.