ATLANTA — A prayer vigil was held at Emory University on Thursday as students continued to demonstrate against the war in Gaza.
"We’re having a Pray for Palestine and we want to make it very clear that this is not an event where we just send our prayer and thoughts. It is a way of sustaining ourselves as we continue this struggle," said Daniella Hobbs, the organizer of the prayer vigil. “We want to provide a space for the community to be grounded and to remember what we’re doing and that we need to take care of ourselves alongside the struggle."
The prayer vigil comes a week after the protest began on campus and occurred at the exact same time students and law enforcement clashed last Thursday. It resulted in 28 people being arrested, 20 of which were from the Emory community, university officials previously said.
Last week, protests intensified, ending in arrests, tear gas, and vandalism, actions that had many Jewish students on edge.
“I almost feel like this is one of the worst weeks of my life,” said Sara Pendergraph, a Jewish student at Emory.
“So my friends and I took graduation pictures, and then waking up the next day, we’re woken up to pictures of death to Israel,” echoed Daria Scolnick, another Jewish student at Emory.
To prevent additional vandalism and help students feel safe, Emory University has ramped up security by adding more lights, cameras and patrols.
"It just makes everyone on both sides feel safer, I think. I feel safe. It's peaceful," said another Jewish student who did not want to disclose his name.
However, the added security comes as students continue to protest. And many say the increased surveillance is a sign that the campus still doesn't understand why students are demonstrating.
"I actually think it's dangerous how Emory's increase of surveillance resembles Israeli apartheid, and I think it just shows that Emory's not really listening to their students," student Neeti Patel added.
Prayer vigil organizers said they've been reflecting on the past week of events and clearing up any confusion about their efforts. They believe their actions are working and will eventually move the university to divest, as they've been asking for.
"There is a lot of rhetoric around anti-Zionism being antisemitism, and for those of us who have their religious training in the history, in the background, we're able to say, 'Well no, that’s not true. And that’s not what we’re doing.' We are very against antisemitism. I’m Jewish, so I would not wanna be a part of something that was running from that type of space," Hobbs added.
After the prayer vigil, the Atlanta Multifaith Coalition for Palestine held a sit-in at Candler Hall.