On Wednesday Oct. 7, the Palestine Solidarity Coalition (PSC) organized a vigil on the Great Lawn at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to honor the victims of the ongoing war in Gaza, recognizing it as a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Oct. 7 2026 marks 3 years since the war began in 2023, however the conflict between Israel and the Middle East had begun around a century earlier. When Israel declared independence in 1948, it went to war with five Arab nations. It is important to note, tensions had been growing even before 1948.
Emory Stevens, UNH senior and lead organizer of PSC began the ceremony with a speech. Stevens highlighted shocking facts about the war including 175,000 Palestinians being injured or killed, and 1.9 million people displaced since 2023. Stevens also called Israel’s ceasefire a “facade”, considering the 325 attacks by Israel in the last 600 days.
“How are they allowed to target hospitals and schools?” said Stevens.
Stevens recognized that standing against Israel on the UNH campus is radical due to the funds the university receives from Israeli organizations. UNH receives 0.5% of their $475 million endowment from Israeli organizations.
Stevens held a moment of silence for the victims, asking that the participants think of one tragedy from the war that made an impact on them.
“It’s important to make Palestine visible to all palettes of life,” said Stevens in an interview.
Around 20 people participated in this event, in which Stevens opened the floor for anyone to speak. Two representative members from the Southern New Hampshire Young Democratic Socialists of America (SNHYDSA) Patience Corbett and Kevin Boardman were in attendance.
SNHYDSA is currently petitioning on campus to stop UNH from receiving funds from Israel. The organization had received 50 signatures as of Wednesday, and they do not plan on slowing down. Along with these efforts, they are looking to open a chapter at UNH.
Boardman is concerned about Israel and the U.S.'s relationship and how Israel could influence the state of our country.
“American police officers go to Israel to learn tactics,” said Boardman.
Boardman encouraged everyone to spread the message by talking to two friends or family members that might not know about this cause.
PSC says they will continue their efforts to support Palestinian people by raising money for their annual May Day for Palestine event; the date is TBD.
