Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and many other local officials and leaders in the Jewish community spoke out against violence at a gathering Monday in solidarity with Israel after this weekend's attacks that left hundreds dead and many more injured.
The event on the Boston Common, entitled "Gathering in Solidarity with Israel Under Fire," was hosted by Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Israeli American Council of New England and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Israelis currently living in Boston and other elected officials all spoke.
A sea of supporters, many waving Israeli flags and flashing signs of support, gathered to listen to the remarks.
"Our support is unwavering," Healey said. "Massachusetts stands with Israel now and always...The atrocities we’ve seen documented since Saturday morning shock the soul. The scale of the cruelty of the attacks is hard to fathom."
Warren said that she was standing in solidarity with the people of Israel, but also called for action.
"There is no justification for terrorism ever," Warren said. "Our job is to reaffirm to Israel and reaffirm to people all around the world, that America will be a steadfast ally. We care for peace, we care for each other, and we ready ourselves for the challenges ahead."
Mayor Michelle Wu was on hand, too, assuring the crowd that "Boston stands with Israel."
"In Boston, for 400 years, we have always taken very seriously that responsibility to stand and speak out with moral clarity," Wu said. "We don’t measure our connection to Israel by the geographic distance — 5,500 miles. Boston has always measured our connection to Israel deep in our hearts."
But not everyone at the rally agrees on how the conflict should be handled.
"There must be a de-escalation of the current violence," Markey said, with some in the crowd booing in response.
"De-escalation is not possible when they are taking hostages," Rep. Jake Auchincloss said from the same podium.
In addition to the remarks from local politicians, people in the local Jewish and Israeli communities also rallied support for the state, and some even shared personal stories of family members in Israel and all they are experiencing.
"Saturday was the worst day in Israel's 75-year history," Lital Carmel, VP of New Leadership for the Israeli American Council, said. "The numbers are so big, there is no household left untouched."
“We grieve with our Israeli brethren, and our hearts break for the fallen and their families,” Combined Jewish Philanthropies President and CEO Rabbi Marc Baker said in a statement. “We are outraged by these heartless and grotesque acts of terror and will do everything we can as a Greater Boston community to support and stand with Israel.”
“We stand with the people of Israel. Their grief is our grief. Their outrage is our outrage,” added Jewish Community Relations Council CEO Jeremy Burton. “There can be no equivocation and no justification for the terrorists who chose to initiate this attack, taking the lives of at least 700 innocents including many elderly and children. As we’ve seen from the leaders of our community in the past day and as we gather, Boston stands with Israel in this time of tragedy.”
A pro-Palestinian rally also took place Monday at Cambridge City Hall, where some defended the violence as resistance against oppression. Counter-protesters also gathered across the street to make their own voices heard.
At 11 Americans are believed to have died in the attacks. Among those killed were the daughter and son-in-law of Brandeis University professor Ilan Troen. Northeastern University co-op students are in Israel but are safe, according to the school.
More than two days after Hamas launched its surprise attack, the military said the fighting had largely died down for now. Israel’s vaunted military and intelligence apparatus was caught completely off guard, bringing heavy battles to its streets for the first time in decades.
Israel formally declared war on Sunday and the army called up around 300,000 reservists, portending greater fighting ahead and a possible ground assault into Gaza — a move that in the past has brought intensified casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to destroy “the military and governing capabilities” of the militant group, which is deeply rooted in Gaza and has ruled unchallenged since 2007.
As Israel hit more than 1,000 targets in Gaza and its tanks and drones guarded openings in the border fence to prevent more infiltrations, Palestinian militants continued firing barrages of rockets, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Video posted online appeared to show a plume of smoke near a terminal at Ben Gurion International Airport. There was no immediate word on casualties or damage.
But civilians have already paid a high price. Around 700 people have been killed in Israel — a staggering toll by the scale of its recent conflicts. Nearly 500 have been killed in Gaza, an enclave of 2.3 million Palestinians bordering Israel and Egypt.
Palestinian militant groups claimed to be holding over 130 people captured in Israel and dragged to Gaza. The armed wing of Hamas said on its Telegram channel that four of them were killed in Israeli airstrikes. That claim could not be independently confirmed — but underscored the dilemma facing Israel’s government as it bombards a territory where its own citizens are held captive.
