The Binghamton University Zionist Organization held a walkthrough memorial on Tuesday to commemorate the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks and honor the lives lost in Israel.

Held in the Mandela Room, the memorial was in remembrance of the 2023 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel, where about 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage. Most of the victims were Israeli citizens.

“I think it’s definitely very important to be able to bring our community together on this anniversary, especially in the midst of peace talks going on currently in Egypt that could possibly bring an end to this war,” said Mackenzie Cooper ‘25, BUZO’s vice president and a first-year graduate student studying public administration. “It just brings an added level of significance and remembrance to this day, knowing that there’s an element of hope, knowing that this mourning could reach a resolution sooner.”

Two years after the attacks, 48 hostages, including 26 who are confirmed deceased, remain in Gaza. Negotiations continued this week to strike an agreement that would lead to the release of hostages and a potential ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced on social media that the leaders of Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of a peace plan, which involves an exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.

“There has been a mixture of opinion on the politics of the war, and I think that there’s some beauty in that, in the fact that the Jewish population across the diaspora and in Israel is not homogeneous at all, and we have the liberty to have a diversity of opinion,” Cooper said. “So while we all mourn the hostages that are still there, we mourn the life of each and every soldier that is lost, the perception of the political implications and happenings of the war have definitely shifted, but the severity remains the same.”

In the center of the room, 48 yellow chairs displayed images of the remaining hostages. More photos of the hostages were also displayed around the room, along with yellow ribbons, which have been used as a symbol of hope for the release of hostages and to show support for Israel.

“I think for many people in the greater Jewish community, no matter what day it is, every day still feels like Oct. 7, especially when you think about the 48 hostages still there,” said Angelina Palumbo, the president of BUZO and a senior majoring in Judaic studies. “It’s very hard to move on when we’re still stuck on that day.”

Another exhibit honored the Bibas family. Yarden Bibas was held hostage for 484 days and his wife Shiri, 4-year-old son Ariel and 9-month-old son Kfir died in captivity. A crib was displayed to represent “the childhood and youth that was sadly taken away,” Palumbo said.

A sukkah, a hut topped with branches, was set up to celebrate Sukkot, a weeklong holiday that begins five days after Yom Kippur. Pictures were displayed of sukkahs in Israel that had been destroyed or damaged during the attacks, which took place one day after Sukkot ended in 2023.

Another table showed prayers for the state of Israel, captives and members of the Israel Defense Forces in both English and Hebrew.

Moshe Creditor, a junior double-majoring in philosophy, politics and law and environmental studies, attended the memorial to remember the victims of Oct. 7.

“This was the most Jews killed on a single day since the Holocaust,” Creditor said. “And after the Holocaust, a promise was made, ‘never again.’ Like, #neveragain, in reference to what the Nazis did to the Jewish population of Europe.”

“And Oct. 7 was an example of us failing that promise of never again, because [about 1,200] people [were] murdered, another 250 kidnapped, so I’m here to honor their memory and continue our promise of making sure this can never happen again,” he continued.

In a 2025 report, the Anti-Defamation League reported a 344 percent increase in documented antisemitic incidents across the United States over the past five years. Fifty-eight percent of incidents in 2024 were related to anti-Israel and anti-Zionist sentiment, according to the report.

BUZO will hold a vigil and another walkthrough memorial on Oct. 16.

“Right after Oct. 7, we were hit with a wave of a lot of heightened emotions and feelings from people of all different communities, and sometimes people react in certain ways when they’re hurt or upset,” Palumbo said. “And I think we’ve definitely seen studies show a 400 percent spike in antisemitism, especially on college campuses. But I think the best way to respond is by coming together as a community and being proud and strong with our identity, and that’s why events like this are so important.”