'We are at war with terror': Scottsdale community calls for release of hostages held by Hamas
Calling for the release of the 150 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, a small group in support of Israel gathered early Sunday morning in Scottsdale.
Prayers were sung and the Israeli flag and signs were raised as cars drove by the demonstration on Scottsdale and Thunderbird roads, honking in solidarity.
The demonstration was led Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, who began reading off the names of the hostages in Israel. One of those names was familiar to Ilana Bruce who told The Arizona Republic she has family and friends in Israel.
“If you don’t know somebody who’s been kidnapped or killed, you are at least one degree away, as Jew, from knowing someone. We have a friend in the Phoenix community whose cousin was murdered at the Re’im music festival,” Bruce said.
She is referring to the Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel that ignited the Israel-Hamas War.
As of Sunday, the death toll in Israel was more than 1,300, according to officials — among them, at least 29 American citizens. More than 3,200 people have been injured since Israel declared war. The death toll in Gaza has risen to 1,537, with over 6,600 people wounded, according to recent reports.
Why is Israel at war and who are Hamas? What Arizonans need to know
Bruce has family that lives in several cities throughout Israel, she said. When she first heard the news of the Hamas attacks, she immediately reached out to her relatives.
“I heard the trembling in their voice, I heard the tears. My aunt, she lives in Yavne, and she told me she hasn’t stopped crying. Yesterday was the first time that she felt safe enough to go outside for a walk,” Bruce said.
Since Oct. 7, most of the community gatherings in Arizona in support of Israel are taking place in what Bruce refers to as "safe zones," like the Jewish Community Center. But she encouraged her partner, Eddie Chavez Calderon, the campaign director for Arizona Jews for Justice, to hold more public gatherings.
As the war in Israel continues, Chavez Calderon said Arizona Jews for Justice plans to continue to mobilize their communities and make sure that their messages are clear.
“We’re going to be sending up some materials to grieving families and raising awareness to ensure that we are clear that our community knows that we aren’t in a war against Palestinians. We aren’t in a war against civilians. But we are at war with terror,” Calderon said.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Scottsdale community calls for release of hostages held by Hamas
