Students hold vigil for Gaza

A silent vigil for peace in Gaza and Israel took place at Coventry Cathedral on Monday 19 November.

40 people attended the event organised by the Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) including students and Coventry locals. Candles were lit and silence observed to commemorate the people of Israel and Gaza.

Banners emblazoned with the word ‘peace’ in English, Hebrew and Arabic, together with the chanting of a universal prayer were a poignant demonstration of unity with those involved in the conflict.

Stewart Jennings, Chaplain at Warwick University, who was at the vigil, expressed his view of the current situation. He said, “Politics played by both sides which has cost people’s lives”.

His comment sheds light on the purpose of the vigil as a neutral display of compassion for all those who have been affected by recent events in the region.

The vigil was promoting peace on the steps of Coventry Cathedral ruins, which, this month 72 years ago, suffered the damaging effects of war.