Two student organizations at Virginia Tech - Hillel at Virginia Tech and VT4Palestine - held different events today displaying their religious and political viewpoints.
VT4Palestine hosted a demonstration on Virginia Tech’s Graduate Life Center lawn Tuesday afternoon, exactly one year after 82 students and faculty members were arrested for trespassing during a similar encampment.
“Our encampment was truly a sanctuary campus. It basically brought so many people together,” Shahed Sanuri, Co-President of Students for Justice in Palestine, said. “You saw people studying for finals, students studying for finals, kids playing on the lawn, you saw professors teaching their classes on the lawn. You saw community members dropping off blankets and food for us. That was pretty much a demonstration of what a sanctuary campus looks like.”
Meanwhile, Hillel at Virginia Tech held an Israelfest street fair, an early celebration for Israeli Independence Day.
“I think it’s important to be out here to raise awareness about different cultures on campus,” Hillel at Virginia Tech Assistant Director Rabbi Beryl Jurman said. “There are so many different people of different nationalities and backgrounds and we would like to expose people to as many of those as possible.”
Hillel set up 59 yellow balloons, representing 59 hostages who are still in Gaza.
“There are still 59 people taken hostage on October 7th of last year,” Rabbi Jurman said. “Of all the hostages, most have been returned or were killed. There are 59 people who are still held within Gaza.”
VT4Palestine’s encampment looks to show support for Palestinians killed in the conflict in Gaza.
“We want to come back here a year later and we want to demonstrate that we will be able to meet our demands and people are here to pledge that they are willing to meet those demands and we will always be rooted in Palestinian resistance and Palestinian’s freedom and Palestinian’s education,” Shahed said.
VT4Palestine plans to host events all through May 2nd in support of their cause.
