U. mourns Israel bombing victims

150 students attend College Green vigil Surrounded by gentle strands of prayer and song, approximately 150 University students gathered around the peace sign on College Green last night to console each other in the wake of Sunday's bombings in Israel. The purpose of the brief memorial service was to honor the 25 people who were killed in the two bombings, two of whom were former Columbia University students. The attacks are being described as the deadliest that Israel has seen in the past two decades. Following Mid-Atlantic Israeli Consul Eli Avidar's speech on the peace talks, the vigil -- organized by IsraeLink -- began with an explanation of the terrorist attack and an overview of the rally. "We have gathered here to mourn the tragedy and pray for peace," said College sophomore Sarah Davies, president of IsraeLink. "We are not here for a political statement but rather to show support for native Israel." The next part of the gathering specifically memorialized one student who was murdered in the blast -- Mattityahu Eisenfeld, a rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary. "We have a list of names of the people who were killed and I do not know all of them," said College sophomore Justin Goldfinger. "I was fortunate enough to be friends with Matt, and I would like everyone to know that he was a really special, really wonderful person." After a prayer, Rabbi Howard Alpert, executive director of Hillel of Greater Philadelphia, spoke about how the bombing will affect the peace process. "This terrorist action will not stop the peace process," Alpert explained. "The terrorists are trying to do whatever they can to stop the process. We will not let them; it is irreversible." Alpert also mentioned that last night's gathering reminded him of the impromptu vigil that took place when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in November. "I find tonight much like the last vigil," said Alpert. "They are not the same, but they feel the same. I feel frustrated with forces I can not control." Alpert completed his segment by predicting what he believes will happen as a result of the violence. "Our enemies would love to see each us at one another's throats," he said. "I am determined that our enemies will not succeed. I believe this terrorism will cause us to bond closer together -- and only together can we overcome the fear of frustration." Before students began to disperse, the Israeli flag was flown for a brief moment, as students sang "Hatikvah," Israel's national anthem. College freshman and Daily Pennsylvanian columnist David Crystal, founder of The Right Right, an organization dedicated to right-wing Israeli politics, planned an opposition rally to begin at a quarter past eight. According to Crystal, poor attendance prevented his demonstration from occurring. A substitute The Right Right rally is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow night on College Green.