Latest news with #RunForTheirLives
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Letters: I am disturbed by what happened on Oct. 7 and what's happening in Gaza
The events of Oct. 7, 2023, shook me to my core, and its aftermath has turned my world upside down, leaving me questioning everything I was taught to believe in. I have done a great deal of soul-searching and am trying to better educate myself about the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That a well-planned pogrom could have laid siege on Israeli citizens under the watchful eye of the Israeli government was a shock. But in the ensuing months and now years, I am deeply disturbed by the evisceration of the Gazan people through bombs, starvation, lack of medical care and a litany of other horrors. On both sides of the conflict, the death tolls are gut-wrenching, but comparing them seems flawed. There are still Israeli hostages being held in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to relentlessly attack the region, and to what end, leaves me shuddering. While participating recently in a Run For Their Lives walk, which advocates for the hostages held by Hamas, I was waging an internal battle about the multifaceted tragedy of the conflict. The perhaps dozen or so of us on this walk were dogged by a driver shouting pro-Palestinian phrases at us and at one point spitting on one of the participants. I did not think that individual was antisemitic so much as misinformed, angry and seeking a voice. In the current and deafening climate of Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids, immigration protests and military intervention, how is it possible to hear one another? Interestingly, I was given a 'Run for Their Lives' sign to carry during the walk. Scrawled on the other side was, 'Bibi it's time to resign.' Several of us on the Run For Their Lives walk could not agree the op-ed 'The phrase 'Free Palestine' is freeing no one, but it is killing some of us' (June 10): The phrase 'Free Palestine' is killing nobody. If we don't live in a world where basic human rights are valued pertaining to religious affiliation, ethnicity or color of skin, the phrase 'Free Palestine' shouldn't need pondering, since we all know what is freedom, especially when we are deprived of it, such as what is happening to the Palestinians. Therefore, the phrase 'Free Palestine' is not a 'license to kill' Jews or Zionists, as Jay Tcath, president of the Jewish United Fund, writes. However, Israelis and Americans have said these things: 'We are fighting human animals' (Defense Minister Yoav Gallant); 'There are no innocent civilians' in Gaza (hostage Mia Schem); 'We nuked the Japanese twice. … That needs to be the same here' (U.S. Rep. Randy Fine). Tcath doesn't condemn those words but tries to criminalize the 'Free Palestine' call for freedom. For those of us who are not Palestinian, 'Free Palestine' is a demand to end the apartheid in the only democracy in Middle East. 'Free Palestine' is our plea for forgiveness from the innocent kids of Gaza who have been killed, maimed or starved to death with the use of U.S. taxpayer money. 'Free Palestine' begs the divine for mercy; we beg to be set free from the burden we can't continue to carry watching the demise of humanity in Gaza. Free, free Palestine!Regarding the op-ed 'You can't separate anti-Zionism from antisemitism. Stop pretending you can' (June 12): In condemning violence against innocent Jewish people, my alderman, Brendan Reilly, equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. In the same Tribune issue, I read the article 'Health officials: Palestinian death toll in war tops 55,000.' Surely, there is a disconnect here. The violence against innocent people, whether Jews or Palestinians, whether in this nation or the Middle East, surely needs to cease. To protest the oppressive and alienating policies of the present administration of Israel is to stand with many of my Jewish friends and neighbors, not to mention the Jewish members of my family. For a path forward, I'm convinced that anti-Zionism, in its totalitarian and exclusionist form, must be distinguished from antisemitism and be held to Shaw's op-ed should be required reading for all Chicagoans as well as the politicians he calls out ('Public officials must cut the fat before begging for taxpayer bailouts,' June 6). Shaw rightly calls out the bad players and their complete lack of integrity when dealing with their unsustainable bloated budgets. Shaw should also include the majority of roughly 7,000 governmental bodies in Illinois; the state has unfathomable pension debt. Additionally, we need an investigation into how much the lawsuits Illinois and Chicago are filing against the federal government are costing taxpayers. Gov. JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson's complete lack of accountability and their smug statements regarding their broken budgets are just more disregard for their constituents. They need to stop pointing the finger at others and start governing; state lawmakers and aldermen need to do that as well. All Illinoisans must wake up. Nothing is free, and we will all pay if drastic action is not taken now. Can we all write in Shaw for governor or mayor?Andy Shaw's opinion piece could not be more on point. Our mayor and governor try to scapegoat the president's policies for the financial disasters that decades of fiscal incompetence and mismanagement on the part of City Hall and Springfield have placed in the lap of taxpayers. Elected officials in City Hall and Springfield have no compunction about spending the hard-earned wages of the citizenry however they see fit. But they don't need to worry; their personal financial futures are secured by the bloated pension system they have awarded themselves. As in Washington, pork, waste, mismanagement, abuse and even outright fraud are too much a way of life that our elected officials have either created or turned a blind eye to. Too many are more interested in personal wealth and status than of actually serving the interests of the voting public. Less than 20% of Chicago voters approve of Mayor Brandon Johnson, yet he is spending Chicagoans into an abyss that we may never escape from. Gov. JB Pritzker is increasingly politically divisive in a divided state where the interests of Chicago too often trump those of the rest of Illinois. It's time for the electorate wake up. Voters should force the state and the city to enact term limits and recall measures to enable us to throw the bums out. That likely will never happen since those elected officials control the agenda, not the voters whom they should be serving.
The Herald Scotland
6 days 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."
CBS News
6 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
NYC Mayor Adams signs executive order, proposes legislation to define antisemitism
Sunday marked one week since a firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado targeted people at a rally who were calling for the hostages in Gaza to come home. Thousands showed up in solidarity not only in Boulder but also in New York City, where Mayor Eric Adams took action to protect Jewish New Yorkers. Codifying the IHRA definition of antisemitism in NYC At a synagogue in Tribeca, the mayor signed an executive order to combat antisemitism. "I am signing an executive order to implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition," Adams said. The definition would include accusing Jews of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust, and blaming Jews for Israel's actions. "If a city-funded organization denies the right of the Jewish people, the right to self determination, this definition gives us tools to crack down," Adams said. Given the fact that the Jewish community makes up 10% of the city's population, yet half the hate crimes are antisemitic, the mayor also called on the City Council to immediately codify the definition into law. Rally held in Boulder, Colorado Shofars were blown in Boulder, Colorado, marking the start of a new kind of strength bringing thousands together for Sunday's Run for Their Lives. A heavy police presence, including snipers on rooftops, watched over the crowd one week after an attack the injured 15 people, including a Holocaust survivor. They gathered peacefully to call for the release of the hostages taken from Israel into Gaza. Manhattan resident Moshe Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, is one of the people being held in captivity, flew to the rally on behalf of all hostage families. He told the crowd, "We will demand Hamas to let our people go." "It's a laid-back community. It was shocking," Denver resident Idi Jackson said. "I just felt that I wanted to be part of the community." "I got teary eyed. I got choked up. It's just an amazing outpouring of both community support and law enforcement," another person said. New Yorkers cannot be silent, UJA Federation CEO says There was a similar rally held in Central Park, with attendance three times the size of its usual number, according to organizers. "The fact that that could happen in this country makes it all the more important for us in New York, the largest Jewish community in world outside of Israel, to not be silent," said Eric Goldstein, CEO of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York. To mark 611 days in captivity, attendees held up the number 55, representing the remaining hostages. Around 20 are believed to be alive. Released hostage Raz Ben Ami told the crowd her husband, who was freed by Hamas a few months ago, lost nearly half is body weight from starvation. "Once in three weeks they let him see TV and they saw the rallies and that's what kept them strong," Ben Ami said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Can't be silent anymore': Hundreds march in Aventura to combat surge in antisemitism
American and Israeli colors lined the streets of Aventura, where a crowd of more than 500 people embarked Sunday on a three-mile march — escorted by police — to raise awareness for rising antisemitism at home and abroad. The rally, co-organized by Run for Their Lives and the South Florida-based Loving Moms United movement, comes nearly two years after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel. The trauma of that day continued to reverberate in Jewish communities across the globe, recently reignited by a violent terror attack at a sister rally in Boulder, Colorado. The June 1 attack in Boulder — carried out on one of Run for Their Lives' sister marches — left 16 injured, including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. The assailant, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, reportedly in the U.S. illegally, used homemade Molotov cocktails and a flamethrower-like device to target peaceful marchers. Authorities say Soliman had plotted the assault for more than a year and told police he intended to 'kill all Zionist people.' He now faces over 100 felony charges, including attempted murder and hate crimes. The Boulder march, like in Aventura, was part of a global effort to raise awareness for the more than 50 hostages still believed to be held in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The juxtaposition between the peaceful intentions of such rallies and the violence in Boulder weighed heavily on Sunday's participants in South Florida. Among the marchers was Jason Wasser, an Aventura native now living in Hollywood, whose childhood friend was among the Boulder victims. 'You would never think that in 2025 this would be the state of our country,' he said. 'Things seem ideal until they're not. Historically, it's always been the Jews who are first.' Israel has been locked in a devastating war with Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants killed nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 people hostage. The ensuing Israeli counteroffensive has resulted in the deaths of nearly 55,000 people in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Hamas is still holding 55 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Some of the marchers in Aventura on Sunday wore signs of the remaining hostages on their shirts to raise awareness. Cecile Mankes, a Jewish resident of Northwest Miami-Dade whose mother survived the Holocaust, walked wrapped around Country Club Drive in an Israeli flag and a blue, jewel-studded hat decorated with American and Israeli pins. 'Antisemitism has gotten to the point where we can't be silent anymore,' she said. 'I'm an American Jew first, not a Jewish American — there's a difference. I believe in this country more than anything in the world, I just don't know if it's safe for all of us anymore.' 'I am an American Jew first, not a Jewish American — there's a difference,' Mankes said. 'I believe in America. I am Jewish because I am. It's what I believe in.' Pearl Levitt, whose parents survived the Holocaust and once lived along the route of Sunday's march, shared an even more personal reflection. 'I'm glad they're not alive now,' Levitt said. 'They lost their parents. They were so sick from the camps. To have to look at this on the news and see it happening again — it would kill them.' Still, she walked proudly with hundreds of others. 'They think they can threaten us and kick us, but they'll never beat us down,' Levitt said. 'We're not going to let it happen again. And as upsetting as it is every day, we're just fighters, and we're going to fight for our rights.' Security for the Aventura march was tight. Aventura Chief of Police Michael Bentolila said 30 marked police cars escorted the rally, including an armored BearCat vehicle. Officers from the sheriff's office and North Miami Beach PD provided additional support. Vice Mayor Cindy Orlinsky was also at the march and told the Miami Herald that Aventura, home to many synagogues and a large Jewish population, had proactively implemented a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism before the war in Gaza escalated. 'We're on high alert at all times,' she said. 'We stand with Israel. We stand with the Jewish community. We stand with all communities — ending Jew hatred and ending antisemitism.' For Jaime and Janette Garmizo, who draped themselves in Israeli flags featuring yellow ribbons, the march was both personal and political. The flags were brought back from Hostages Square in Tel Aviv during a recent humanitarian aid trip. The yellow ribbons, interwoven into the Star of David on each flag, are meant to symbolize 'the unity Israel has to bring their hostages home, dead or alive,' Jaime said. Janette, through tears, added, 'Us Jews never lose faith. I wake up every day praying for good news.' The Garmizos' also wore dogtags bearing Hebrew inscriptions that read 'Bring them home.' Jaime wears his every day. Nathaly Haratz Kaswan, an organizer with Loving Moms United, led the march wearing an Israeli-flag arm sleeve. She's become a key figure in hostage advocacy, even attending the State of the Union with Senator Rick Scott earlier this year. 'We are not ending this until they are all released,' she said. 'This is not over until then.' As the marchers reconvened at the Aventura Mall parking lot, they closed the march with recitals of the American and Israeli anthems. As attendees chanted 'Am Yisrael Chai,' the Hebrew saying meaning 'the people of Israel live,' Rabbi Yisroel Brusowankin of Chabad at Waterways told the Miami Herald that 'the only way forward is to continue living Jewishly — visibly, proudly and faithfully.' 'I think the haters are going to hate; antisemitism is the oldest hate in the world,' Brusowankin said. 'We're still here as a people because of our sacred mission, and nothing will stop that.' Correction: This article was updated to accurately identify Aventura Vice Mayor Cindy Orlinsky.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Family on Pearl Street during terror attack returns 1 week later for Boulder Jewish Festival
BOULDER (KDVR) — Pearl Street in Boulder was filled Sunday afternoon after thousands of people came to show support for the Jewish community following the terrorist attack last weekend. 'It's really meaningful to have people come and support our community,' Rachel Cohen, who was walking with the Run for Their Lives group during the fire-bombing attack last Sunday. The group walks to raise awareness and call for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Cohen shared her story and explained the moment her gut instinct told her something was wrong. 'As we came up to the courthouse, I noticed some people who seemed questionable,' Cohen said, 'particularly the man who was doing the work or pretending to do the work, we now know he was there to harm us.' Cohen, alongside her kids, said the walking group had stopped, and then in a matter of moments, the attack started to unfold. 'Then we heard a crack. My daughter, my seven-year-old, describes it as a window crash, then there was a smell of petrol,' Cohen explained. 'I turned and saw fire, and I immediately moved as fast as I could and pushed my children out of the way.' Cohen told us she has participated in at least 40 or more of the 'Walk for their Lives' walks. She said Sunday's walk, when the attack happened, was actually very peaceful. Mother, 2 kids speak out after son in wheelchair aids in Boulder attack aftermath 'It was actually the first week we didn't have anyone heckling us, we had lots of people supporting us and thumbs up,' Cohen said. 'It was really nice; it felt like a great day, good weather and a good walk.' She said that after she got her kids to safety, she called 911 and ran back to the chaos to help others in the attack. 'It might have been chaos, but everyone in our group did everything they could to make it work,' Cohen said. 'Make sure that everyone was cared for and protected, however we needed to do it.' Back on Pearl Street, in a large crowd just seven days later, Cohen told us she definitely felt all the emotions. 'It makes me know that the possible sacrifice that could have happened last week with my kids, that it's not for nothing, and we walk every week,' Cohen said. Tourist details newly obtained video of Boulder attack showing people on fire She also wanted to thank not only the Boulder Jewish community but for everyone who attended the festival on Sunday, showing their support. 'Having people stand with us, it shows them we are not fearful,' Cohen said. Alongside her family, they walked with hundreds on Pearl Street once again at the Boulder Jewish Festival and she said they will continue to go forward. 'Being a walker with Run for their Lives is to remind people that we are out here peacefully wanting these hostages to be released,' Cohen said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
