Dear Editor,
On Oct. 21, the Tripod published the article, “SFJP, Hillel Recognize Oct. 7 in Separate Memorial Events.” The article attempted to report the two events that happened on campus on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the two-year anniversary of the deadly Hamas attacks on Israel. Israel faced the deadliest attack in its history, where more than 1,200 of our people were massacred by Hamas, while 251 were taken hostage. On the two-year anniversary, Hillel held a memorial to remember the day, the lives that were lost, and the people who were taken hostage. We were honored to hear the testimony of Susana Sela, a survivor of the October 7 Hamas attacks on the kibbutzim (Israeli living communities), where she was attacked at her kibbutz of Nir Yitzchak.
On that tragic day, people from all nationalities were murdered, tortured, raped and taken as hostages by Hamas, not exclusively Israelis, not exclusively Jews. Family members of ours, friends of ours, compatriots of ours, people of our own. Above all, the Jewish community’s ties with many people living in Israel means that many Jewish students at Trinity have personal connections to many of those whose lives were taken; for example, the Brazilian Ranani Glazer, murdered by Hamas at the Nova Festival, was a friend from kindergarten of one of us. Our lives stopped on October 7 and never became the same again.
It is, above all, a shared, never-healing wound we carry. We relied on each other to comfort ourselves on such a delicate date, where we gathered to mourn and honor those whose lives were brutally taken, those we never heard news about, and those still held in captivity. That includes those killed in any moment of the war, from any nationality and any religion, meaning the lives of Palestinians were also properly honored at our event. Given that, it is particularly hurtful to see the significant minimization of our memorial’s meaning in the article. In analysis, it barely mentions the procedures of our service and forgets to include mention of what the art exhibit we created in Hillel’s dining hall represented: a memorial for the hostages, student art about the conflict and a slideshow with photos of all the victims murdered on October 7. The exhibit was student-created and an important part of how we honored this day. We felt particularly stressed, concerned and uncomfortable. The Tripod’s article failed to highlight why we were gathering there, as if it had no meaning.
When covering student events on campus, the Tripod has the responsibility of explaining what happened at the event and why the event was important to the students and attendees; after all, the reason why you wish to cover what is happening on campus is also to give voice and visibility to the student population, their traditions and values, and what is behind them. Accordingly, as the Jewish student community on campus, we hoped that the Tripod would highlight why this memorial mattered to us as Jewish students; but instead, it distorted our mourning and grief in comparison to SFJP’s vigil. October 7, 2023 is a day that will forever shape the Jewish community, and our remembrance of it — as well as the memory of its victims — deserves to be portrayed with accuracy, empathy, and respect. We hope to continue this ongoing conversation with the Tripod and the Trinity community.
– Kate Behrman ‘27, Samuel Knijnik Werneck Martins ‘28, Sofia Tonon ‘26, Rabbi Bonnie Margulis (Director of Hillel and Jewish Life
Note From the Editor (Savannah Brooks ’26, Editor-in-Chief):
The mission of the Tripod, which can be found on our website, reads, “The Trinity Tripod is the sole student newspaper at Trinity College. We strive to cover the issues that matter most to the campus community and to do so with accuracy, integrity and purpose. We believe in the truth and the fundamental importance of journalistic practice to a free and democratic society. Moreover, we believe that the bedrock of a civil society is affording an opportunity for the free interchange of ideas and resolve that it is our duty to do so.
The truth needs to be heard and it is the solemn charge of the Tripod, for better or worse, to bear that burden. Accordingly, we will not stifle beliefs and opinions in our Opinion section merely because they are unpopular, nor will we pursue coverage of individuals and stories in our News section with animosity or malice. We do not believe in emendations or retractions when the issue at hand is one of interpretation.”
While our paper does serve as an archive of student life, we do not cover events “to give voice and visibility to the student population, their traditions and values and what is behind them.” We cover events to help the community understand what is happening around campus, as our mission states, “for better or for worse.”
– SNB
Hi Savannah,
Did you read what was written? Your team not only stifled the truth in the original article but ignored aspects of the service because it is popular to do so. Your paper lacks both journalistic integrity and accuracy. The purpose, however is extremely clear. What remains unclear is if you are capable of taking responsibility for the inaccuracy of your team. There is still time for you to be better than this, hopefully you see that soon.
Savannah, you are on a power trip of a student newspaper comparable to that of our president and the government. It’s time for you to resign and find internal change. This newspaper, and campus culture, will breathe better when your graduation is achieved.