Few people can draw a crowd on a college campus quite like Ben Shapiro. Depending on who you ask, the conservative firebrand is either famous or infamous for his Q&A sessions where he “owns” and “destroys” raucous college students — exchanges that have been clipped to oblivion on YouTube.

On Monday, Oct. 7, the Buckley Institute is scheduled to bring Shapiro to Yale for one of these events — on a date that coincides with the one year anniversary of the terrorist attacks in Israel. Hosting an inherently political event is an irresponsible way to mark a day that, for many in the Yale community, has tragically defined the last year.

Almost exactly a year ago, Hamas launched a cowardly attack against Israeli citizens on Simchat Torah — a day that is supposed to be a joyous festival marking the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. Nearly 1200 people were killed, including 43 Americans. 254 more were kidnapped.

Some members of the Yale Jewish community woke up to a barrage of WhatsApp notifications that Saturday morning. For others, who observed the prohibition on using technology on holidays, news trickled in more slowly. Yet, for nearly all of us, that fateful day and its catastrophic consequences left an indelible mark on our year.

Just last month, the Israeli Defense Force recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel beneath the Gazan city of Rafah. Among those found was American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l, whose parents became global icons in their tireless fight to free their son. Several members of the Slifka community know the Goldberg-Polin family. Even though I don’t, news of his death also struck me personally as a reminder of our collective obligation to those who have still not made it home.

With 101 hostages representing 24 nationalities now held by Hamas in Gaza, the pain of Oct. 7 is still potently alive.

The title of Buckley’s upcoming conversation with Ben Shapiro is “how October 7 broke America’s college campuses.” The focus won’t be on the families who were torn apart. Or the hostages still in Gaza. Or the victims of sexual violence at the hands of Hamas terrorists. Instead, on the one-year anniversary of the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, Ben Shapiro is coming to Yale to perpetuate the culture war.

To be sure, Shapiro should have a place to voice his perspective on Yale’s campus. If the event was scheduled to take place on Oct. 6 or 8, I’d be in the audience. And I may well agree with Shapiro’s condemnation of anti-Israel protests at Yale and beyond — protests through which antisemitism often rears its ugly head.

Free speech is the lifeblood of a healthy university. But hiding behind its façade doesn’t absolve Buckley of any sensitivity to the impact of its event. Watching a series of verbal altercations between Shapiro and disgruntled college students eager for their 15 minutes of Internet fame does not preserve the sanctity of a horrific anniversary.

Shapiro, an observant Jew, should know better.

For thousands of years, Jews have observed yahrzeits — a Yiddish word meaning “anniversary” — to commemorate the loss of loved ones. The Babylonian Talmud, a seminal text of early rabbinic debates, describes ancient vows where children would abstain from the indulgences of eating meat and drinking wine on the anniversary of their father’s death. [1]

Modern yahrzeit observances often include lighting a special candle designed to burn for the duration of the day, reciting a prayer known as the Mourner’s Kaddish, engaging in acts of tzedakah — charity — and studying Torah. While a loved one might be gone in the physical sense, yahrzeit observance allows their spirit to live on. 

Because of idiosyncrasies between the Hebrew and Gregorian calendars, the yahrzeit date for those killed in last year’s massacre doesn’t occur on Oct. 7. That date, the 22nd of Tishrei, won’t come for several more weeks. Still, Judaism can teach us all — religious or not — about our fundamental responsibility to those we’ve lost.

Inspired by Jewish tradition, I will mark one year since the Oct. 7 attacks with silent reflection, the recitation of psalms and efforts to connect with the Yale community, both inside and outside of the Slifka Center’s walls. Through their choice of dates, the Buckley Institute and Shapiro are politicizing a sensitive day of mourning — giving not into the desire for meat and wine but rather for discord and dissonance.

Shapiro’s speech is set to occur at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7. So is the recently-announced vigil organized by the Slifka Center and Chabad at Yale.

Buckley, reschedule your event. Otherwise, Yalies, we owe it to the victims of Hamas terror to sit it out.

[1] see Shevuot 20b:2

MAX GRINSTEIN is a first-year in Grace Hopper. He can be reached at max.grinstein@yale.edu.