After Boulder attack, crowd gathers in NYC to demand release of hostages

Eric Goldstein of UJA NY: “We cannot be silenced. We must come back stronger.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Just a week after the terror attack on a hostage rally in Boulder, Colorado, protesters gathered in New York’s Central Park to demand the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Although a demonstration for the release of the hostages is held weekly in Central Park, Sunday’s gathering was reportedly larger than usual.

“We know that there are those who try to silence us,” said Eric Goldstein, the head of UJA Federation of New York.

Referencing the rally in Boulder, he said, “They were not silenced; they’re back again this week. We cannot be silenced. We must come back stronger.”

Rally organizers reported increasing security at gatherings since the Boulder attack.

Released hostages and their families spoke to the hundreds of participants at the Central Park rally.

As the crowd chanted, “Seal the deal,” and “You are not alone,” Sarah Cohen, the mother of Matan Leor, who was murdered on Oct. 7, 2023, while attending the SuperNova party, described her last contact with her son.

“My son Matan came to the party to dance, to laugh, to watch the sunrise. When the attack began, he grabbed the microphone and shouted for everyone to run—until he lost his voice,” she said. “Then he led group after group to safety, saving more than 100 people. He stayed behind to help others. He was murdered while trying to save lives.”

“I was held hostage for 55 days, and my husband, Ohad, was released one year and three months later, too long – 50 kg less,” Raz Ben Ami, a freed hostage, told the crowd.

“What kept him strong was seeing the rallies and the support, not just in Israel but around the world,” she said.

“In the tunnels, you can’t speak, you can’t do anything – so every little bit the hostages hear about gives them strength,” Ben Ami continued.

“President Trump and Witkoff brought them back. We must push them to do it again. They made it happen before and can do it again. We need to get them out, finish the war, and bring them all home now.”