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Around 100 people mourned the lives of four Israeli hostages at a vigil held in the Science Center Plaza Thursday afternoon after Hamas returned four bodies to Israel earlier Thursday.
Attendees gathered around four candle-lit hearts to honor Shiri Bibas, her two sons Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz, all of whom were taken hostage during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack. The vigil — which was attended by College Dean Rakesh Khurana and Dean of Undergraduate Education Amanda Claybaugh — was hosted by Harvard Hillel, Harvard Chabad, and the Harvard Jewish Coalition.
Four bodies were returned to Israel in black coffins during a staged ceremony early Thursday morning. Hamas identified them as Bibas, her sons, and Lifshitz, whom they said died in Israeli airstrikes. The Israeli military announced Thursday evening, hours after the Harvard vigil, that it had identified the two children and Lifshitz among the returned remains, but that a fourth body was not Shiri Bibas. Israel said its forensic testing showed the children and Lifshitz were killed by Hamas.
In exchange, Israel is expected to release more than 600 Palestinian prisoners on Saturday. The remains returned to Israel on Thursday were among the 33 hostages Hamas promised to release in the first phase of its ceasefire agreement with Israel.
Harvard Hillel wrote in an Instagram post that the hostages were “returned to Israel today in a manner further reflecting the cruelty of Hamas terrorists.”
Evan H. C. Epstein ’28 — Harvard Hillel’s Israel Chair and a Crimson News editor — helped organize the vigil and wrote in a statement that the event was meant to be “a welcome salve.”
“In times like this, it is comforting to come together as a community and share in our collective grief,” Epstein wrote.
The vigil began with a speech and prayer for the four hostages, led by campus Rabbi Getzel Davis.
“In these times of darkness it is so important that we come together,” Davis said. “We now find ourselves at a loss for words as we see the state of those who have returned. Emaciated, beaten, and now, tragically, in body bags.”
The crowd, with yellow ribbons and roses in hand, listened while some shed tears and shared hugs with each other. Davis’ remarks were followed by a moment of silence.
Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi — the president and founder of Harvard Chabad and a campus Jewish chaplain — continued sharing words dedicated to the four hostages, including the two young children in the Bibas family, aged 4 years old and 9 months old.
“Our hearts have been broken more times than we can count, and today, our hearts are shattered once again. The Lifschitz family, the Bibas family, with their adorable red-headed children, took up residence in our hearts and minds,” Zarchi said.
Zarchi also called for the release of the rest of the hostages still in captivity in Gaza.
“We look to the voices of the world to unite in this message of calling for the immediate release and freedom of these innocent people who were stolen from their homes and their families,” Zarchi said in an interview.
Before the vigil’s closing, the crowd joined in on singing Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, led by Gilad Mills, a Harvard Law School student. The vigil ended as attendees placed yellow roses in the center of each of the four candlelit hearts, situated in front of pictures of the four hostages.
“I think it's important for the Jewish community, Jewish-Israeli community, here at Harvard, just to remember that we're here together and we can support each other,” Mills said in an interview. “Our ability to come together in these moments is a source of strength that we need to be proud of having.”
—Staff writer Annabel M. Yu can be reached at annabel.yu@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @annabelmyu.
