Students at SAR Academy in Riverdale spent Thursday morning singing and praying for the hostages, soldiers and victims of the Israel-Hamas war, including a former SAR teacher who died in the line of duty fighting on behalf of Israel.

Principal Rabbi Bini Kraus shared a coloring book created in honor of former teacher and Israel Defense Forces reservist Yossi Hershkovitz, who rejoined the IDF in October as the Israel-Hamas war was beginning.

Students wrote the names of those being held in Gaza on ribbons to tie onto a tree on campus.

“It tells the people in Israel that even people from across the world are still thinking about them even though we’re thousands of miles away, we’re still helping them, we’re still thinking about them and we’re still hoping for them,” said Krauss.