The day after the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech, NYU’s Jewish community responded by sending students and staff to Blacksburg, Virginia. Nicole Vengrove and Lindsay Katona, both seniors, accompanied the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life’s Rabbi Yehuda Sarna to give support to the school’s Hillel and the campus as a whole. They wrote about their experience:

“It is 7:30 am on April 18, 2007. We are on our way back to New York City. The past 24 hours have been filled with horror stories mixed with inspiration, heroism and hope. Along with Rabbi Yehuda Sarna of the Bronfman Center, we went down to Virginia Tech to be in solidarity with the Blacksburg, VA community who continues to mourn the loss of 32 victims.

Upon being asked by Rabbi Sarna the night before to fly down to Virginia the next day, there was no way we couldn’t go. We arrived early Tuesday morning in Richmond, VA and drove over three hours to Virginia Tech. We had no idea what to expect, but we knew we had to be there. We stopped for gas at a town right next to Blacksburg, and after we paid for our gas, the girls working at the gas station handed each one of us a maroon and orange ribbon (the colors of the Virginia Tech Hokies). It was clear from this very moment how much the surrounding towns are a part of this mourning community.

As we continued driving, we listened to the 2 pm convocation on the radio. Before getting to downtown Blacksburg, we decided to stop at a CVS to get poster board and markers to make a sign. The woman who checked us out told us that one of the pharmacy technicians, who was also a student at Virginia Tech, was killed in the shootings. Everyone knew someone. Since the convocation was not over, and the building was jam-packed with students, faculty, families, and guests, we thought we would try to visit the local hospital, where those wounded on Monday were recovering. The woman at CVS gave us directions, and we headed to Montgomery Hospital. While we were not able to gain access to the hospital, we dropped off cards that were hopefully distributed to these young victims. We decorated our car with a sign that read “New York University Stands with You” and made a poster that read “New York Cares.” No one could believe we had come all the way from New York City.

We then went to meet Sue Kurtz, the director of Virginia Tech Hillel. Sue, her husband and daughter, who is a sophomore at Virginia Tech and lost a sorority sister, invited us back to their home. We wanted to help in any way we could, and once we got to campus, we realized that Sue was not only the anchor of the 1200 Jewish students at Virginia Tech, but also a widely respected voice within the University community. She spoke at the Convocation ceremony that day. It immediately became apparent that Sue was balancing her own process of mourning with her role as a wife, mother, mentor, and spiritual leader to the many students at Virginia Tech. She has very personal relationships with dozens of students on campus.

After recognizing how many people were seeking support from her, the three of us locked ourselves in her office. We listened to her 39 voicemails so that people could actually leave messages. We organized her emails and answered phone calls from the press. Rabbi Sarna offered her professional as well as personal support. After two hours locked away, we went with Sue and her family to the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center (JCC) where Hillel students and Jewish professors were coming together to say Kaddish. As we walked into the JCC, we were struck by the solemn silence that filled the room. Together, we stood and said Kaddish with this community. Everyone was in tears, some in hysterics.

One professor spoke about Liviu Librescu, the Israeli professor who was killed in the attack. He highlighted how he was a Holocaust survivor, and the irony behind him being killed on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day). We walked out of this ceremony to Virginia Tech’s main campus to take part in the candlelight vigil. Everyone wore Virginia Tech colors and college sweatshirts. Thousands of people filled the space and knowing almost no one, we managed to feel safe and at home.

The vigil was powerful and when we think about it, it still gives us the chills. The president of the student body opened the vigil, followed by the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. Everyone, all over the world, was watching this on TV. The speakers stressed the idea that Hokies are a family, and they are going to get through this. It was incredibly powerful. Everyone was holding a lit candle, and in one simultaneous rhythm, we all raised our candles in silence. One section of the crowd began singing Amazing Grace. It softly made its way through the crowd and everyone began singing together. It was as if this crowd of thousands of people was one person. Students began chanting school cheers. There was laughter and an energy that gave hope.

The vigil lasted about 30 minutes, but the crowd gathered late into the night. The three of us held our NYU Stands with You and New York Cares signs. Strangers literally came running up to us. They thanked us, hugged us, asked us why we came. They offered us a place to stay and told us their stories. 26,000 students and yet everyone knew someone affected by this tragedy. It is like a family. The sense of school pride and togetherness is inspiring and uplifting. We were told by reporters and Virginia Tech students that we were the only New Yorkers in the crowd. It was clear that just being there mattered to this community. Before we left, we placed our posters next to the boards that were set up for students to write their thoughts on. We signed our names on the posters. An hour later, we received this message:

“Lindsay, we have never met, but I still wanted to write you. I wanted to thank you for what you have done, for the contribution you put on the wall. The poster made me cry. I am so proud that you did that, it means a lot. I thank you and Nicole, I stood and looked at it for a couple of minutes and could not believe that. You supporting us like this, it means so much to everyone. Thank you. I lost a friend, and it really takes my breath away that people from all over are trying to help us cope with the loss…so thank you and God Bless you.”

The Virginia Tech community taught us the importance of standing with others in times of need. They taught us what a true community looks like and we hope to bring this sense of community back with us to NYU. We as students must stand together. This has an impact on all of us. College students and professors’ lives were taken away in an instant, in an environment that is supposed to nurture learning and curiosity. It could have happened to any of us. Please join us at a vigil that will take place on Thursday, April 19 at 5pm in Washington Square Park. We plan on organizing subsequent events and hope to build a partnership between NYU and Virginia Tech students.”