Students walked out of class in support of Israel at noon on Oct. 27. Around the same time, another group of students congregated at the Rand Wall to express solidarity with Palestine.
The walkout was organized by Students Supporting Israel at Vanderbilt, an unregistered student organization formed in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
About 40 students demonstrated in support of Palestine, while Ryan Bauman, a senior and president of SSI Vanderbilt, said between 45 and 55 students participated in the walkout.
Some students gathered at Fleming Yard in support of Israel and distributed flyers produced by Kidnapped From Israel, an art and public relations campaign founded by Israelis in New York City. Others met at Vanderbilt Hillel to coordinate transportation to a downtown Nashville rally in Legislative Plaza.
Students in support of Palestine held signs, some of which read “Stop the Genocide,” “Free Palestine” and “End the Siege on Gaza Now.” Most of the students wore masks or held signs to cover their faces. The participants declined to comment on the protest due to safety and privacy concerns.
Senior Ryan Bauman, president of SSI Vanderbilt, told The Hustler that he thought it was important that students came together to show support for Israel.
“After the horrific attacks of Oct. 7 on Israel, now more than ever, we need to come together as a Jewish community to stand for what is right,” Baumann said. “Many of our peers are far removed from this issue, but for many of us, it hit close to home, and for some, it literally hit home.”
Maya Levinson, a senior, said the walkout aimed to bring focus back onto the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas.
“Our generation’s attention span tends to be short, and with a world that moves so fast, it can be easy to forget the human lives at stake,” Levinson said.
The rally downtown sought to raise support for Israel in the Nashville community at large, featuring recorded messages from Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern U.S. Anat Sultan-Dadon. Student activists and community religious leaders also spoke at the rally.
Senior Nathan Applebaum, president of Vanderbilt Hillel, called the downtown rally a very positive experience.
“I thought it was an incredible display of community,” Applebaum said. “To see that Israel means so much to many different people from an array of backgrounds and cultures was heartwarming and gives me hope in these devastating times.”
Junior Sarina Samuel also attended the rally downtown and said she found it reassuring.
“Being Jewish and Israeli with plenty of family and friends in Israel right now, it has been a scary and heartbreaking couple of weeks,” Samuel said. “In these difficult times, it was beautiful and comforting to see so many Tennesseans from varying backgrounds coming together in support of Israel and the Jewish community.”
Multiple campus tours passed the demonstrations while exiting Rand. Scott Coberly, a senior and president of Vanderbilt Tour Guides, declined to comment on behalf of any of the guides involved.
