The faculty of the Jewish Studies Program at Loyola Marymount University are appalled and deeply saddened by the atrocities committed in Israel on Saturday, October 7, 2023, the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. While we may hold various political views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we are united in our view that the terrorist acts committed by Hamas were abhorrent crimes against human life that must be condemned, unequivocally, as such. The deliberate targeting of civilians is indefensible. We are also troubled by the loss of innocent lives in Gaza. As a diverse group of scholars, we seek to educate our students on the multiplicity of Jewish experiences across time and region, and we fiercely guard our classrooms as places of open intellectual exchange, debate, and disagreement. We reaffirm ourselves to this commitment and stand with Israelis and all people seeking peace in this region and beyond.