Hundreds attend Boulder Jewish Festival 1 week after Colorado attack
The sound of the shofar kicked off the festivities as hundreds of people attended the Boulder Jewish Festival on the Pearl Street Mall on Sunday.
It was the 30th anniversary of the festival and one week after a man allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at a group that walks every Sunday to advocate for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.
"We've been singing and dancing, crying a bit, and coming together and celebrating what it means to be community," said Simcha Schwartz. "We have to respond with joy and action to hate, and so that's what's happening."
The mood was a mix of somber and joyous. People remembered those injured in last Sunday's terror attack in the same spot on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall with a reading of their names.
A man in bandages leads a Run for Their Lives march in honor of people kidnapped in Gaza on June 8, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado.
Chet Strange / Getty Images
"People are very worried and concerned about what's going on, not just in the world, but in our local community," said Karen Bigelow.
But attendees also celebrated being Jewish and shared their culture with those who came but were not Jewish.
"It's just important to show love and compassion in every community. And I happen to be a part of the Jewish community that I know and love and respect, but I think it's important for everybody to show compassion and unity in times, especially, that are difficult like right now," said David Winterstein.
The event has been planned for months, but given last week's attack, there was extra security, which attendees say was a blessing but also a curse.
"There's a lot of people that feel maybe scared, concerned about the fact that there's so much security, that there has to be that much security," said Bigelow.
Boulder Police man a roadblock on June 8, 2025 in Boulder, Colorado outside the Boulder Jewish Festival and a march calling for the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza.
Chet Strange / Getty Images
But attendees say, despite the fear, it was important for them to come out because they don't want to let hate keep them from living their lives and expressing themselves.
"We have to show up, we have to speak up, and we need to make people realize that now is the time to speak up for everybody in our communities. We're all human beings," said Bigelow.
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