BETHLEHEM, Pa. - There was a packed house at Lehigh University Monday night - a large crowd of people who are supporting Israel as the country wages war with Hamas.
More than 100 students - members of the Jewish community - gathered to pray and to share the grief and anger they feel because of the attack by the terrorist group.
Roughly 1,000 Jewish students attend Lehigh University currently.
They say they're hurting, and they're angry. Many have relatives, friends over in Israel, who they fear for. Members of the Lehigh University Jewish community say it's a tremendously dark time for who they call their brothers and sisters who live in Israel.
"I have lots of family, we have friends, and we have colleagues, so yeah, it's been a very tough 72 hours," said Rabbi Zalman Greenberg, cofounder of Chabad at Lehigh University.
It's why Chabad at Lehigh University held a gathering for the Jewish community.
"I was talking to my son last night, and he was like, 'you know, I have some friends who are probably going to die in this conflict.' And that's just like, you know, hits me right here, because he's 24," said Director of Jewish Student Life, Steve Nathan.
"It's horrible. It's inhumane, that people would be taking children or elderly people, and just taking them, abducting them from their homes and bringing them and beating them and torturing them," said Dit Greenberg, cofounder of Chabad at Lehigh University.
It's an unprecedented attack on the country, that many students visited just over this past summer, by the militant group, Hamas.
"I walked there as a free woman and a free proud Jewish woman. I felt safe. It felt like a dream there. This dream of peaceful coexistence for Jews is a battle we've been fighting for years. What you're seeing on the news is a nightmare," explained Rebecca Weissman, who spoke on behalf of Tamid at Lehigh.
"It really just kind of gives you a whole other perspective of what life is over there for kids of similar age of us, because they have mandatory service in the IDF, which we don't have in the United States," explained Isaac Curley, a junior and president of Chabad at Lehigh University. "They face conflicts unlike anything that we could ever even imagine as reality."
But, amid the dark reality, students say there's light, unity and community.
"That community runs strong. As long as that's not killed, we continue to win wars," added Weissman.
How can people help?
People say the best ways are to send positive thoughts, to condemn the attack and to donate to legitimate groups providing food or supporting Israel's military.
That includes the American Red Cross of Israel. There's also the Israel Emergency Relief Fund.
Chabad at Lehigh University also shared seven things that can be done to help.
