Latest news with #OmriMiran
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Boulder Jewish Festival kicks off amid tight security after attack
"We look forward to sharing this day of resilience, culture and community solidarity in downtown Boulder, exactly one week after an antisemitic terror attack shook the Jewish community," organizers said in a statement, promising "enhanced" security protocols. Organizers said they are working closely with Boulder Police Department, JEWISHColorado and state officialsto ensure safety. "These are precautionary measures and not based on any specific threat," the statement said. "The top priority is creating a secure, welcoming space where everyone can gather in solidarity and celebration." The festival will include a solidarity walk with members of Run For Their Lives, the group that sponsored the walk that drew the attack June 1. The walk will conclude with a "powerful, community-led program" featuring speakers including some from Run For Their Lives Boulder. Among them will be Moshe Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, 49, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 and remains in captivity. No one died in the June 1 attack, but the wounded include eight females and seven males, ages 25 to 88, police said. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian native who's been held on a $10 million bond, faces more than 100 criminal counts including multiple counts of attempted murder. "The Jewish community is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from near and far - local and global, interfaith, young and old," the statement said. "All are welcome, and we hope to have a tremendous turnout and show of solidarity."
Arab News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli hostages highlighted at Boulder Jewish Festival after attack on group urging their release
BOULDER, Colorado: For the 611 days since Omri Miran was taken hostage by Hamas, his family has lived in fear, his brother-in-law told those gathered at the Boulder Jewish Festival on Sunday, one week after a man firebombed a group calling for the release of Israeli hostages at the mall where Moshe Lavi now spoke. 'We received only partial, limited and at times horrifying proof of life,' Lavi said to a hushed crowd. 'We don't know how much he's suffering, deprived of food, water, sunlight, tortured, abused, as I speak to you now.' For its 30th year, the Jewish cultural festival centered on the stories of Israeli hostages after authorities said man who yelled 'Free Palestine' threw Molotov cocktails at Boulder demonstrators calling for their release. Festival organizers said they reimagined it to focus on healing and center the group's cause — raising awareness of the 55 people believed to still be in captivity in Gaza. Authorities said 15 people and a dog were victims of the attack at the Pearl Street pedestrian mall. They include eight women and seven men, ranging in age from 25 to 88. One is a Holocaust survivor. Not all were physically injured, and some are considered victims for the legal case because they were present and could potentially have been hurt. Run for Their Lives, the group targeted in the attack, started in October 2023 after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. The Boulder chapter, one of 230 worldwide, walks at the mall every weekend for 18 minutes, the numerical value of the Hebrew word 'chai,' which means 'life.' Several hundred people joined the Sunday walk that typically draws only a couple dozen. Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper was among the participants. Demonstrators handed out stickers stamped with '611,' representing the 611 days since the first Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas militants. On a stage near the site of the attack, hundreds gathered to listen to speakers and songs. Vendors sold traditional Jewish and Israeli cuisine. In tents marked 'Hostage Square,' rows of chairs sat empty save for photos of the hostages and the exhortation 'Bring them home now!' Lavi thanked local demonstrators for their bravery in advocating for his family. He described Miran as a gentle and loving gardener, husband and father to two young children. Merav Tsubely, an Israeli-American who came to the festival from a city north of Boulder, watched as hostages' families thanked those gathered in recorded video messages. One of Miran's children appeared on screen and said in Hebrew, 'When daddy comes back from Gaza, he'll take me to kindergarten.' 'Just seeing them speaking to us, here, with all they're going through, their supporting us is kind of mind blowing,' Tsubely said, her eyes welling. 'It just reminds us how connected we all are.' Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was charged for the attack Thursday in Colorado state court with 118 counts, including attempted murder, assault, illegal use of explosives and animal cruelty. He was also charged with a hate crime in federal court. Soliman, an Egyptian national who federal authorities say was living in the US illegally, told police he was driven by a desire 'to kill all Zionist people,' a reference to the movement to establish and sustain a Jewish state in Israel. The violence in downtown Boulder unfolded against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war, which continues to inflame global tensions and has contributed to a spike in antisemitism in the US It also came at the start of the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Torah to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai in Egypt. US immigration officials took Soliman's wife and five children, who also are Egyptian, into custody Tuesday. They have not been charged in the attack. A federal judge on Wednesday granted a request to block their deportation. The Boulder Police Department and the FBI coordinated to provide increased security at the festival as well as local synagogues and the Boulder Jewish Community Center. Officers guarded the event's entrances, and police Chief Stephen Redfearn said some plainclothes officers would be present in the crowd. On a rooftop near the stage, three held rifles and used binoculars to monitor the crowd as drones buzzed overhead. Matan Gold-Edelstein's father was present last weekend and helped douse the fire that burned an older woman. Gold-Edelstein, a 19-year-old college student, said the well-attended festival was a great show of humanity, regardless of religion or politics. 'We're not here to be in support of a war,' he said. 'We're here in support of our religion, in support of our people and in support of the innocent people who are still being held hostage.'
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Toronto Star
Israeli hostages highlighted at Boulder Jewish Festival after attack on group urging their release
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — For the 611 days since Omri Miran was taken hostage by Hamas, his family has lived in fear, his brother-in-law told those gathered at the Boulder Jewish Festival on Sunday, one week after a man firebombed a group calling for the release of Israeli hostages at the mall where Moshe Lavi now spoke. 'We received only partial, limited and at times horrifying proof of life,' Lavi said to a hushed crowd. 'We don't know how much he's suffering, deprived of food, water, sunlight, tortured, abused, as I speak to you now.'
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Baltimore community leaders, residents march as violence continues in Jewish communities
Members of the Baltimore-area Jewish community, elected officials, and their allies marched on Sunday to show support for the victims of more hate crime attacks. More than 400 people walked along Park Heights Avenue in Pikesville Sunday morning. Meanwhile, a Baltimore group is part of the international campaign "Run 4 Their Lives Baltimore." It continues to march in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza, which has lasted for more than 18 months. But this week, hundreds more showed up to honor the victims of the alleged hate crime attack during a Jewish support walk in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1. The stories behind the walk On Sunday morning, Rachel Sabath, the inaugural senior Rabbi at Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Congregation, walked and talked about a bracelet she wears that has a special name engraved on it. "Omri Miran. I met his father shortly after October 7, Danny Miran, just this wonderful, beautiful family of farmers," said Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi. Sabath said no one has heard from this family friend in more than a year. "And Omri was dragged away on October 7, dragged away from his wife and his two little girls who were clinging to his legs," Sabath said. This story is just one reason why supporters, including Sabath, walk each Sunday. "The fear of an attack against us has not cowered people and has not stopped them from coming out to support the community and the hostages," said Julie August, a co-organizer of 'Run 4 Their Lives Baltimore'. "Not going to be frightened into silence" According to organizers, the message behind the walk is twofold, after what the FBI is calling a "targeted act of violence" in Boulder, Colorado, on June 1. "The Jewish community is not going to be cowardly and is not going to be frightened into silence," said Jay Beirnstein, a co-organizer of "Run 4 Their Lives Baltimore." "And I think the events in Boulder, the attack that occurred this week, reinforced the community's determination to make a statement." Organizers explained that the recent attack in Colorado hits close to home for many members of Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom and the community around it. In April, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's home was firebombed after a man allegedly broke into his house. Then last month, two Israeli Embassy staffers were shot and killed outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C on May 21. "Sarah [Milgrim] and Yaron [Lischinsky] —your own— who were murdered so senselessly outside the Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., the week before," said Sabath. "People in Boulder, Colorado, were set on fire. A Holocaust survivor— a Holocaust survivor set on fire in the United States of America, is so horrific and terrifying, and the only way we can really, truly respond to that is to insist that hate has no place." An 88-year-old Holocaust survivor was among the victims injured in the attack, CBS News reported. "The fact that a Holocaust survivor was among those wounded is a sobering reminder of the enduring threat of antisemitism and the urgent need to protect those who have already suffered so much," Maryland Congressman Glenn Ivey said in a statement. Baltimore Jewish community receives more security During Sunday's walk, extra security and police were seen lining the streets as the crowds walked. Elected officials also joined to show their support. "We show a sense of community solidarity and not be afraid, because that's what these people want us to be," said Julian Jones, the councilman for Baltimore County's 4th District. "We have to allow there to be a place, a safe place, for people to come together and continue to pray for the hostages," said Sabath. According to "Run 4 Their Lives Baltimore" organizers, the walk in Pikesville is one of 230 sites around the world that participate in this walk every Sunday.
CBS News
02-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Boulder, Colorado attack will not deter NYC-area families from attending hostage rallies, loved ones say
The alleged antisemitic attack in Boulder, Colorado over the weekend happened as Jews in New York City are observing the joyous holiday of Shavuot. Before that holiday began Sunday, there were several similar rallies across the Tri-State Area. CBS News New York's Lisa Rozner spoke with Moshe Lavi, the brother-in-law of Omri Miran, a 48-year-old husband and father of two little girls, who was kidnapped from his home on Oct. 7, 2023. Lavi said Monday hostage families are standing with the victims of Boulder, but added there is not even time to grieve because their advocacy must go on. Miran and others have been held by Hamas for 605 days Lavi, along with the cousin of 24-year-old hostage Alon Ohel, rallied in Central Park on Sunday. Their peaceful call to bring home the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza happened hours before a similar rally in Boulder was met with firebombs. "It was heartbreaking. Those people are standing with us, the families, since Oct. 7, every Sunday," Lavi said. "The eldest [victim], I believe, is a Holocaust survivor, according to the reports. I talked to families in Israel over the past few hours and asked them, please use your Instagram pages for the hostages to amplify this, to send love and support to the Boulder community." Lavi said it marked 605 days for the 20 hostages believed to be alive in captivity, including Miran, whose daughters, ages 2 and 4, ask for him daily. During this agonizing period, Lavi says worldwide gatherings like the "Run for Their Lives" in Colorado have given his family strength. "Sadly, we don't have time even to process these things because we immediately have to go back to the business on the table, which is what can we do today to raise awareness to bring Omri home," Lavi said. "I fear for the Jewish community in this country" Back in April, Hamas released a second propaganda video of Miran. "He did not look well, but I, we, focus on the fact he's alive," Lavi said. Lavi said the United States has a pivotal role in negotiations to end the war in Gaza. "In our rallies, we are voicing what should be the call of every human being on this planet, that hostage taking is unjust," Lavi said. "[They] targeted people who call for a resolution, who call for a solution to this ongoing crisis and war. At the moment, I fear for the Jewish community in this country and many other Western countries. We are under threat by hateful people." Lavi said he will not let a hateful movement silence him or deter him from attending this Sunday's rally, but he also pointed out that what happened in Boulder underscores that hate speech can translate to physical violence. Be proud to be Jewish, rapper Kosha Dillz says Rami Even-Esh of Bushwick, Brooklyn, also known as the rapper Kosha Dillz, proudly wore his Jewish faith on Monday after hearing from his friends who were supposed to be at the Boulder rally. "The response I got from my followers that message me is, 'I never thought this would happen to us,'" Even-Esh said. "It makes me actually want to be more open and proud." From Great Neck to Central Park, peaceful gatherings calling for the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas were held Sunday, around the same time as the Boulder attack. "We are still in mourning. Two weeks ago, our worst fears were realized when this type of violence touched our community," said Josh Kramer, director of the American Jewish Committee New York. It was after one of the AJC's events in Washington D.C. that 26-year-old Sarah Milgrim and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky were allegedly gunned down by a man who yelled "Free Palestine." In Boulder on Sunday, the suspect shouted that same phrase as he set people on fire. "Language that has been used to cast Israel, Zionists and more broadly Jews around the world as legitimate targets in these kinds of attacks has lead us to this point," Kramer said. "What people don't know, there are Muslim hostages. There are Black hostages," Even-Esh added. Boulder Jewish Festival is this Sunday Even-Esh is running for Holocaust survivors in the New York City Marathon, and just ran the Boston Marathon for victims of terror. "There's no other group that's like, we need armed security while we're running in a park," Even-Esh said. "They want us to hide our Jewishness, like taking off yarmulke and tucking in chain, not having Israeli flag, based on actions 6,000 miles away. You're a runner and part of a running group. You're running group should definitely say something, whether you're Jewish or not." He said his friends in Boulder have told him they'll show up next Sunday for the scheduled Boulder Jewish Festival. "The main thing is next week they're going to be back better than ever," Even-Esh said.
