The man who drove Tomer Meir out of the Nova music festival when Hamas terrorists attacked on Oct. 7 was an “angel,” the Yeshiva University freshman told an audience of about 600 that gathered at Yeshiva University’s campus in Washington Heights in Manhattan on Monday evening.
“I will never be able to thank him enough,” Meir said at the event, a memorial marking the approaching anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack. “When I think back to that long day, I think of the miracle of my survival.”
The trauma of the day inspired Meir to help organize the Nova art exhibition in New York in April, so the world could understand the implications of the tragedy. “We have control with what we do with our lives, even after the most terrible things happen for us,” he said at the Yeshiva event.
Ari Berman, an Orthodox rabbi and president of Yeshiva University, told JNS that the Oct. 7 attack was deeply “personal” for the Yeshiva student body. “Every one of our undergraduate students knew someone that was injured, taken hostage or sadly killed,” he said. “This horrific event is a part of our identity.”
The memorial event was intended both to be a “commemoration” and to instill “resilience” in the student community, Berman said.
“We all feel the aftermath of Oct. 7, and we need our common humanity and compassion to come together and strengthen one another,” he told JNS.
Berman spoke with JNS shortly after Israel launched a limited ground invasion against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon.
“We come together to deal not just with our past but our future with optimism, especially in the face of the terrifying news that Israeli soldiers are again in harm’s way,” he told JNS. “We pray to God that He should bring peace to Israel and the entire region, so everyone can live a life of blessing and joy.”
‘Tangible action’
Erica Brown, vice provost for values and leadership at Yeshiva, told JNS that the university “brought our entire student community together tonight because it is a significant anniversary.”
“We wanted our students to reflect on the heroism of that day,” she said.
The event also highlighted Yeshiva undergraduates’ social and political activism since Oct. 7, according to Brown.
“Our students have been engaging in social activism by making sure their friends, siblings, and neighbors in Israel are cared for,” she told JNS. “Other students have lobbied their local congresspeople in Washington for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Sam Weinberg, a senior at Yeshiva and president of the Yeshiva Student Union and of Yeshiva University Israel Political Club, said at the event that the Oct. 7 attacks left him “reeling.”
Advocating for the Jewish state at the March for Israel rally in Washington last November and lobbying Congress officials shows how support for Israel is a “bipartisan issue,” he added. Weinberg encouraged students to continue their political activism by writing letters to Congress and registering to vote.
“Please join me in transforming our love and concern for Israel into tangible action,” he told attendees.
Brandon Melamed, a senior at Yeshiva and CEO of its 2025 Seforim Sale, attended the event to show “support” for the greater Jewish community.
“Regardless of what type of Jew you are, we are all still connected to one another,” he told JNS. “Because the war is still going on, it is more important than ever to gather together and connect with one another, because this is what will make us stronger.”
Leora Muskat, who is also a senior at Yeshiva, was “honored” to have been chosen by the university to speak about hostages Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtav, Chaim Peri, Yoram Metzger, Nadav Popplewell and Avraham Munder, whose bodies Israel recovered on Aug. 20.
“It was important for me to commemorate the life of these hostages with our school community,” she told JNS.
Muskat urged New Yorkers to continue to advocate for the hostages, whom Hamas continues to hold in Gaza and for the protection of Israel.
“Look out for your Jewish friends and be aware that this war is not over,” she said. “We still need people’s support to not forget what happened but also to pray for an end to this.”
