Memorial Ceremony for Release of the Hostages

30 days after the October 7th attack, Bar-Ilan University held an event to commemorate the casualties of the Bar-Ilan community. Yellow balloons were released into the sky to symbolize the hope for the safe return of the 242 hostages still held in Gaza - each balloon represented a hostage. 
Along the nearby Bar-Ilan Bridge, students hung photos of all the hostages. Maayan Tzin, whose two daughters, Dafna (15) and Ella (8), were abducted from their home in Nahal Oz to Gaza, shared the horrific moment and called upon decision-makers to bring them, as well as all other the hostages, back home. Maayan, together with Prof. Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University, and hundreds of university personnel, released yellow balloons into the sky.
Five students from Bar-Ilan University lost their lives on the October 7th Black Saturday. Since that day, the extended Bar-Ilan community, including  staff and graduates, has mourned the loss of 34 casualties. Unimaginable pain pierces the families’ hearts, and the university provides them with psychological and emotional support. 
University President Prof. Arie Zaban said at the memorial ceremony: "We have not yet begun to digest the events of that fateful and dreadful Saturday, neither as individuals nor as a nation. We did not have a single moment to stop and process it, as Israel went to war. Unfortunately, many entities in the global academia enable the support of Hamas, despite the fact that this terrorist organization does not share any of the values relating to institutions of higher education. Universities in Israel regularly engage with public opinion worldwide, both to remind the world of the murdered and the hostages from that Black Saturday, and to protect our right to defend ourselves.