Oregon State University students and community members gathered for a pro-Israel community wide prayer rally and walk held by the Turning Point organization at OSU on Friday evening.
Carrying prayer candles and Israeli flags, the group of eight walked a loop through campus in an aim to show public solidarity for the country after it faced an attack by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, which resulted in the death of over 1,300 Israelis on Oct. 7.
The walk followed SW Campus Way, SW 14th St. and SW Jefferson Way and ended at the parking lot of the Linus Pauling Science Center.
“I really don’t care about numbers, this is mostly just prayer,” said Rebecca Lang, the president of OSU Turning Point.
Turning Point USA is a conservative student organization that serves over 3,500 college campuses across the nation.
Described by Lang, the “pro-America” club’s purpose is to help students voice their opinions and exercise and preserve their rights as United States citizens.
The prayer rally and walk was the group’s second event of fall term and one of the first organized by Lang as the chapter’s new president.
“This event was mostly to come out and just pray for the people of Israel and for everyone who has been affected over there,” Lang said.
OSU Public Safety was present at the gathering as a precaution in case any counter-protests were to arise.
An officer patrolled the walkers’ route and checked in with the group multiple times to ask the participants if they felt any threat of pushback, though, after a brief course through the OSU campus, the prayer walk concluded without confrontation or any objection from the public.
The group began and concluded their walk with a prayer circle where multiple participants spoke out and offered prayers for the country and citizens of Israel, and participants were encouraged to pray as they walked.
One of the participants, Kailyn Dawkins, traveled to Corvallis from Salem, Oregon, to attend the rally.
Dawkins attends Corban University, a Christian private college in Salem where she says she is trying to start a chapter of Turning Point.
Of the event, Dawkins said she felt the walk was a good method of showing support for Israel and wanted to attend to show her personal solidarity with the cause.
“I think Israel definitely needs the support,” Dawkins said. “Innocent lives are being taken because of terrorism. I think that’s wrong, and so praying for them is the best we can do right now.”
Annalise Guy, a graduate student at OSU, was also in attendance at the event, grew up in a Chrisitian home where she says she was instilled with pro-Israel beliefs throughout her life.
“Jesus was a Jew,” Guy said. “I think of (Judaism) as kind of our origin story.”
Having been interested in Israel for years and seeing news of the country’s war with Gaza, Guy said she was pleased to see an event showing support for the country was being put on at OSU.
