UW groups step up to support Muslim, Jewish students amid Israel-Hamas war

As the Israel-Hamas war rages on in the Middle East, student organizations at the University of Waterloo have stepped up to support students locally in response to the conflict. 

Chaya Mamer, the president of the Jewish organization, Hillel Waterloo and Laurier, said students are worried about safety on campus.

"One of our biggest roles at Hillel at this point is to ensure that students know that not only is Hillel there for them, and their safety and always creating a space for them, but also that the universities care about our safety as Jewish students on campus," said Mamer, adding there's been a bump in antisemitism since the war began.

The group has been working with the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) to achieve this goal. 

"I can definitely speak on personal experience that this last week and a bit has been a scary week," said Mamer. "It's been a difficult week."

"Most Jewish students on campus, and especially at the University of Waterloo either directly have family in Israel or have friends who have family and I personally know people who have been lost, unfortunately, in the conflict." 

Tensions in the Middle East have intensified since the deadly civilian attacks in Israel carried out by Hamas on Oct. 7 which killed more than 1,400 Israelis. 

Israel has retaliated with attacks into Gaza, while cutting off access to things like fuel and water. At least 3,478 Palestinians are believed to have been killed since then.

The effects of the collective conflicts have been felt by students here. 

Jori Reiken, the vice-president of finance and philanthropy with Hillel, is advising distraught students to take care of themselves. 

"I think one thing that's super important is for students to remember that their mental health and their security comes first," Reiken said.

She explained that staying off social media for a bit or attending meetings with organizations like Hillel could help — "To just take a break: really process what's going on," she said.  

'Distress' on campus

Ameen Hussain, the president of the university's Muslim Students' Association (MSA) said that any students who are struggling to cope can contact the MSA or speak to him directly. He also said that they can contact the Naseeha hotline, which is aimed at the Muslim community. 

He pointed to an incident of Islamophobia that happened in the United States, since the conflict began that left a young boy dead. 

"There's obviously a lot of distress because especially in our population … we have Muslims, right, but we also have a lot of Palestinian brothers and sisters," he said. "But especially because there's a lot of Muslims being affected from this."

"There's a lot of passion and there's a lot of distress within the Muslim community."   

Hussain said that they'll be holding a public prayer for students and might be offering a lecture to help people understand the history of the region where the war is taking place.

Interfaith communication 

The University of Waterloo president, Vivek Goel, put out a statement on Oct. 16, condemning violence against civilians on both sides. 

"This violence so easily divides us," Goel wrote. "It is our responsibility as people engaged in learning to meet those we disagree with openly and to approach this time of volatility in the world with care and humility."

Hussain believes that interfaith discussion with groups like Hillel could be very productive.

"We would love to engage in that discussion," he said. "I believe it would actually discard many misconceptions about Muslims and perhaps the relationship between the Jewish religion and the Islamic religion."  

Hillel's Mamer explained that they're open to the idea of "connection" and "cooperation" in the coming months or years, but at the moment their focus is to help Jewish students, and the community at large.

"We just hope, moving forward, as we see this conflict continue and hopefully conclude, that there is more cooperation and understanding between groups," said Mamer. "That we don't see instances in antisemitism get worse in the future."