Light in the Darkness
“Light in the Darkness: UNT Students Honor October 7 Victims Amid Hostility and Hope”
This week marked the two-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks that shook Israel and the Jewish world. At the University of North Texas, the Students Supporting Israel (SSI) group, joined by members of Zionists of America and Turning Point USA, hosted a deeply moving campus vigil in memory of the victims. The event was sponsored by DFW Mothers Against College Antisemitism (MACA) and served as both a moment of mourning and a stand for truth amid growing campus hostility.
On the morning of the vigil, SSI and DFW MACA set up an educational booth during UNT’s Market Days. The display included photos and stories of Israelis murdered on October 7, a life-size milk carton exhibit symbolizing the kidnapped and missing, and heart-wrenching images from the Nova Music Festival massacre and a family brutally killed by Hamas. The exhibit drew attention from countless students, many of whom stopped to ask questions, take photos, or simply reflect in silence.
Unfortunately, not all reactions were respectful. Members of the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) campus chapter appeared at the booth, attempting to disrupt the display and intimidate the students and mothers present. Their behavior quickly devolved into name-calling, obscenities, and verbal threats. Despite the hostility, Geri Cohen, co-founder of DFW MACA, approached them with calm and compassion. She tried to engage them in civil discourse—asking what they truly knew about Israel, Gaza, and Hamas. It became painfully clear that many of these students were misinformed, fueled by anti-Israel propaganda, and repeating slogans they did not fully understand.
This confrontation unfolded during SJP’s so-called “National Week of Rage,” an event that glorifies those who carried out the October 7 attacks as “martyrs.” The contrast between the two gatherings could not have been starker—one side fueled by hate and misinformation, the other standing firm in light, truth, and remembrance.
As evening fell, students, faculty, and community members gathered for a solemn vigil on campus. The centerpiece of the memorial was “Bring Them Light,” an emotional exhibit by Israeli psychologist Dr. Lihie Gilhar, featuring portraits of the murdered teens from the Nova Festival. Attendees, including Christian Zionist activists and social media voices such as Ariana-Rosie and The Latino Zionist, stood shoulder-to-shoulder in unity and prayer.
Candles were placed in front of each poster as the stories of the victims were read shared. Brochures containing personal narratives and the Mourner’s Kaddish were handed out, allowing participants to remember not just numbers, but names, faces, and lives cut short. The atmosphere was heavy with grief but also with resolve—a quiet defiance against those who seek to erase or distort the truth.
In a time when antisemitism on college campuses is surging and students are being fed falsehoods instead of facts, events like this vigil serve as a beacon of light. They remind us of the power of education, dialogue, and courage in the face of hate. As Geri Cohen reflected, “Our education system has failed these children—but it is never too late to teach them truth and compassion.”
DFW MACA and student allies at UNT are determined to continue creating spaces where truth can be spoken openly, where misinformation can be challenged, and where the memory of the October 7 victims will never fade.
