As of Sunday, the number of people killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Gaza is over 1,400, according to the Israel Defense Force number given to CNN. As the conflict continues over six thousand miles from Bloomington, two groups held simultaneous rallies in support of their communities.

Hoosiers, both Israeli and Palestinian, each held a rally on October 9th in response to the violence that took place in early October. In Dunn Meadow, IU Hillel, a “Jewish home away from home”, and Chabad at IU, “The Heart of Jewish life on Campus”, came together to hold a gathering in support of Israel.

Thousands of community members gathered in memorial for the lives lost, and to show that the Jewish community in Bloomington will not be shaken. Among them was Rachel Applefield, who is the president of the IU Hillel Center.

“I have connected with so many people I haven’t seen in a while, or have heard from random people have been reaching out to me and telling me that they support, love, and are thinking about me,” Applefield said.

Applefield knows a lot of people in the Israel Defense Force and has a good friend currently in Israel. With all the unknowns, she’s worried for her friend. Applefield is grateful that the gathering is bringing people together, not separating them, especially when the conflict is so far away.

“I feel supported on this campus, seeing how quickly the whole Jewish community came together,” Applefield said. “Just knowing how quickly everyone wanted to get involved and do something and pray together and mourn the people we’ve lost is just very powerful […] I’m really eager to see the strong community coming together.”

Another prominent voice at the pro-Israel gathering was that of Rabbi Sue Silverberg, Executive Director of the IU Hillel Center. For her, the tragedy is pervasive beyond the Jewish community.

“This isn’t even an only a Jewish issue. This is a human issue. There’s no, no country in the world that should be allowed to have this kind of violence and hate perpetrated against it by anyone,” Silverberg said. “If we allow this kind of terror and terrorism to exist, it will be everywhere before we know it.”

A block away at the Sample Gates, the Bloomington Palestinian community held a rally at the same time as the Israel rally. The non-violent counterprotest was organized by the Palestinian Solidarity Committee at IU. 

The rally was meant to send a message opposing violence and to “stand in support of Palestinians in their fight for liberation.” Many participants shared heartbreaking accounts of the current situation in the region but declined IU Newsnet’s request for interviews due to safety concerns.

In a joint statement from the Palestinian Solidarity Committee, the IU Middle Eastern Student Association, and Jewish Voices for Peace Indiana, a Jewish anti-Zionist organization, on Instagram Saturday, the groups said:

“We declare our solidarity with the Palestinian people who have been suffering under a suffocating Israeli apartheid regime and Israeli war crimes for decades and with Israeli Jews who reject the apartheid policies of their own government.” 

In a conflict that has been heavily polarized, Applefield hopes that the gathering is not seen in a negative light.

“This is not a protest; this is just a peaceful gathering to support what is happening in Israel, the lives that have been lost, taken,” Applefield said. “This is not about politics. This is so much more than that. And I just hope everyone that comes listens learned has an open heart.”

As the groups dispersed from their respective rallies, they met at Sample Gates where a shouting match ensued. Although it remained peaceful, IUPD formed a human chain between the two groups to maintain civility. Indiana Avenue was also closed from 4th Street to 7th Street.

But despite tension, on both sides in the face of tragedy, community and messages of anti-violence prevailed.