Baltimore activists rally in solidarity with Gaza hostages as war reaches year 2
Tuesday will mark two years since Hamas attacked Israel. Members of Baltimore's Jewish community gathered Sunday to honor the victims and urge the release of the hostages still being held in Gaza.
Activists in Baltimore have been holding marches every week for almost two years. Sunday's "Walk to Remember" carried extra weight and was followed by a somber ceremony led by local rabbis.
Honoring Gaza hostages
On Sunday morning, dozens of community members marched outside Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom in Pikesville in solidarity with the hostages and their families.
"There are four of us who organized this starting in January, almost two years ago, and we've been coming out every Sunday," said Randi Framsen, one of the event organizers.
The weekly march is part of an international campaign to keep attention on the hostages who are still being held in Gaza after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Authorities in Israel said 48 hostages remain in Gaza, with about 20 believed to be alive.
"We don't want them to be forgotten," said Jay Bernstein with Run for Their Lives Baltimore. "We want the families to know that we remember them."
After the march, the crowd filed into the synagogue for a somber ceremony to honor the lives lost and celebrate the courage of the survivors and heroes.
"We are commemorating the two years of loss, the lost lives that are Israeli, the lives lost that are Palestinian...two years of a grinding war," said Howard Libit, Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council.
Local rabbis led prayers and community leaders reflected on the toll of the ongoing war. The ceremony ended with prayers for those who have yet to return home.
Libit emphasized that the community remains united in its support for the hostages and their families.
"Whatever people's views are of the Israeli government, we are all unified in our love of Israel, in our love of the people and our desire to get the hostages home," Libit said.
Organizers and activists said they will continue marching every Sunday until every hostage is returned home.
