Pro-Israel and Jewish student groups at UC Berkeley erected an orange tent on campus Thursday in memory of the Bibas family, whose two red-headed children, Ariel and Kfir, became global symbols of Hamas brutality.
The brothers were 4 years old and 9 months old when they were abducted from their home on Kibbutz Nir Oz with their mother, Shiri Bibas, during the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. Their father, Yarden Bibas, who was also abducted, was held separately from the rest of his family and was released alive on Feb. 1.
The children and their mother were killed in Gaza, and on Thursday three bodies were returned to Israel. Forensic scientists identified the children, but said the third set of remains was of an unknown female. (Late Friday, Hamas turned over a second body claiming that it was Shiri. As of press time, Israel had not yet confirmed the identity.) The body of Oded Lifshitz, a peace activist kidnapped from Nir Oz when he was 83, was returned on Thursday as well.
At UC Berkeley, students with campus groups Tikvah Students for Israel, Students Supporting Israel and Chabad joined together to spearhead the tent installation on Sproul Plaza, where last spring pro-Palestinian students erected an encampment protesting Israel’s war against Hamas.
Cal sophomore student Lielle Abramov told J. that the news of Shiri’s body not being returned along with her boys reached the group toward the end of the 5½-hour event, which started at 10 a.m. Thursday.
“It was definitely an overwhelming feeling,” said Abramov, who holds leadership positions at both Students Supporting Israel and Tikvah Students for Israel. “We had just spent all day explaining to people who this family was, and why yesterday was such a significant day. And then to hear [about Shiri], it was honestly disheartening. But I think it just made what we did all that more important in drawing attention and awareness.… We’re very lucky to have such an amazing Jewish community on campus to support each other.”
Photos of the family lined the orange walls of the tent, and three empty chairs were placed in the center, one for each member of the family killed in Hamas captivity. The Cal students wanted to honor their memories and raise awareness for the ongoing hostage crisis, organizers said.
The orange tent was part of a pro-Israel display that students put up regularly on campus, according to Rabbi Gil Leeds of Berkeley’s Rohr Chabad Jewish Center.
Also on the scene were Israel advocates visiting from the organization DiploAct, who set up tables next to the tent and encouraged passersby to engage in a discussion about Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. DiploAct was started in 2016 as a grassroots group to reframe the global narrative about Israel. Today it continues to “combat misinformation and promote a positive, accurate image of Israel worldwide,” offering training programs and touring U.S. colleges.
“Hamas is a terror organization. Prove me wrong,” read one sign.
“I am a Zionist. Ask me anything,” read another.
“DiploAct was able to get people to start talking and ask more meaningful questions, which was super important, because our campus is extremely polarized, so that was awesome,” Abramov told J. “We definitely got the same typical responses of people who are just trying to instigate and aren’t necessarily there to have a productive conversation… but nothing that we aren’t used to.”
DiploAct public diplomacy adviser Jonathan Elkhoury, who was present at the tent installation, later hosted an evening event to share Israel advocacy resources with Jewish Cal students.
“The students on campus are the front line of combating antisemitism and standing up for what’s right,” Elkhoury told J. “That’s why we’re there to support them and to help them, and to give them more knowledge from our experience.”
The student tent action, according to Leeds, “was basically an opportunity for the students to show solidarity with the incredibly challenging, heart-wrenching situation that was unfolding this week while also trying to do something positive,” he said. “To be proud of who we are.”