Through three separate stories, The Diamondback explored a variety of student experiences on campus since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. I had the privilege to listen to seven interviews and testimonies from those affected by the war. I used these experiences to inform my portraiture, opting to highlight specific artifacts and emotions of the University of Maryland community members.
Rifka Handelman, a senior environmental science and policy major and president of this university’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter, poses for a portrait by Testudo outside of McKeldin Library on Sept. 25, 2024.
Nadine Sahyoun, a Palestinian American professor of nutrition and food science, wears a naẓar necklace on Nov. 12, 2024.
Stone Schwartz, a junior mechanical engineering major, reflects upon the recent killing of six hostages in Gaza while sitting in the Chapel’s Garden of Reflection and Remembrance on Sept. 13, 2024.
Ella Elimelech displays a necklace which reads “beyachad nenatzeach,” translated from Hebrew as “together we will win.”
Nadine Sahyoun, a Palestinian-American professor of nutritional epidemiology, poses for a portrait outside of Woods Hall on Nov. 12, 2024.
Ella Elimelech, a sophomore information science major, sits in the Chapel's Garden of Reflection and Remembrance as she reflects upon the recent killing of six hostages in Gaza.
Stone Schwartz, a junior mechanical engineering major, holds a necklace engraved with “Bring them home now!” in reference to the Israeli hostages that remain in Gaza.
Elisheva Sukol, a junior philosophy, politics and economics major, sits by the fountain on McKeldin Mall on Sept. 30, 2024. She discusses her experience on campus as a Jewish student since Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Zach Astrof, a sophomore government and politics major, sits outside of Tydings Hall on Sept. 30, 2024.
