Inter-community and the shared causes of different backgrounds were on show at the vigil. After the first introductions, two Jewish students came up to the stage to deliver a Jewish prayer of mourning in Hebrew, Aramaic, and English. It was a tragic yet beautiful display of humanity from those brave enough to sacrifice a great deal in order to make their voices heard. The prayer was so impactful that it caused the next speaker, Imam Ali Asad, to appear emotional on stage before starting his own speech.
After the Vigil, this reporter managed to get a quote from the distinguished Imam. Asked about his thoughts on the event, Imam Asad expressed his thanks to the university:
“I would like to thank Newcastle University for hosting tonight. From such an institute of education, this is very impactful that this event was allowed to be held.”
The speaker after Imam Asad, Yunus Bakhsh of North East Against Racism gave a powerful speech against the actions of Israel and Netanyahu, condemning the attacks against Palestinians. The room was held in tense breath as Bakhsh speech reverberated with attendees who had felt their own anger at the events unfolding in Gaza.
In a conversation afterwards, Bakhsh was asked what he thought of the event. Bakhsh gave this reply:
“I think this is a magnificent event. It shows the Student Union is waking up to the fact that students are part of the wider world. The turnout today shows that students are interested in more than beer and partying. The words spoken hear today have been powerful and moving.
Hala's] personal and heart wrenching talk touched on the individual and familiar aspect of the tragic deaths in Gaza.
The head of Amnesty society, Lewi El-Hawary, thanked activities officer Alex Theodosiou for assisting in the organising of this particular. However, El-Hawary was critical of the University for what he perceived as complicit silence on the events discussed at the vigil. When asked about what the event meant to him, El-Hawary said:
“This vigil means a lot to me, it is heartwarming to have this platform provided by the SU however the amount of red tape and bureaucracy made this more difficult than it should have been”
The last and, what the majority would agree, most moving speech of the night was a presentation delivered by Hala; a Palestinian Phd student studying here in Newcastle. Her personal and heartwrenching talk touched on the individual and familial aspect of the tragic deaths in Gaza. Relating stories of her friends and families, the tone in the room was a remarkably silent sadness.
A representative from the Palestinian society, who are currently in the process of the ratification, gave this quote about what the vigil meant to them:
“It means to show that the cause transcends all backgrounds. Genocide and ethnic cleansing are happening in the region and it is important to make that the forefront of the conversation. It is imperative we support students who have been impacted by the events in Gaza. The conversation is uncomfortable but needs to happen.”
The event was shocking and eye-opening to the horrors happening in Palestine. However, this writer among others was touched by the shared humanity on display. Those from a variety of backgrounds, faiths, colours and creeds banded together for a common cause. It is telling of the importance of the crisis that such a diverse group was moved so deeply that they felt their voices should be heard.
