Crowd rallies in support of Israel on Boston Common
BOSTON - Crowds gathered in Boston Monday for a show of support for Israel, which is now at war with Hamas after attacks left hundreds dead.
Many of those at the rally carried Israel's blue and white flag or held signs that said "Stand with Israel." People were emotional and described themselves as numb and grieving over the news about the attacks.
Meron Reuben, Consul General of Israel to New England, says his 23 year old daughter was called up in an Israeli reserve unit to recover the bodies of civilians killed by Hamas. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/Bl1YUayaDc
— Louisa Moller (@LouisaMoller) October 9, 2023
"It's heartbreaking, we're devastated," said Rabbi Marc Baker, the president and CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. "This is the worst tragedy, travesty, massacre of Jewish people in my lifetime and probably the darkest moment probably in Israel's 75-year history and we are devastated and heartbroken. And it's not just, kind of, far over there. This is deeply personal for all of us, we have tens of thousands of Israelis in this community and all of us have friends and family and are being touched by this. It's a message of solidarity, it's a message of unity. We come together around our shared values and we stand together with Israel. We grieve with Israelis and we also stand with a strong, clear moral voice that we do not condone terror, we do not condone the dehumanization of Israelis and the dehumanization of Israel and that we will not stand for this."
Lawmakers including Gov. Maura Healey and both Massachustets senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren were among those who attended the rally. Markey was booed when he called for de-escalation.
"Many of you have family in Israel now and many more have those who have lived through brutal wars to ensure the ongoing survival of the Jewish state. We grieve with you," said Markey.
"De-escalation is not possible when they're taking hostages," said Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who was met with cheers.