2,000 gather at vigil for slain hostages in New York

New York Jewish Week — Two thousand people gather at Columbus Circle on a hot and humid night for a vigil mourning the six hostages whose bodies were found in Gaza, an impromptu gathering of song, prayer, and tears about 24 hours after the news of the captives’ death sent Israel and the Jewish world reeling.

Like many Israel-focused demonstrations in New York City over the past two years, this one was held in parallel with mass demonstrations in Tel Aviv and throughout Israel. The focus of those Israeli demonstrations — indignation toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to free the hostages — is also present at the midtown gathering.

But those feelings are mixed with more subdued and soulful moments focusing on lamenting the lives lost — including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the American-Israeli who, via his parents’ activism, has become a global symbol of the more than 100 hostages still in Gaza. Attendees say the losses of people they didn’t know thousands of miles away still hit them hard.

“I haven’t met any of these people, but they feel so close,” says Sharon Litwinoff, an Upper West Sider who attended the rally. “It felt like it was always devastating to hear about all of the deaths and everything, but this one felt even more personal.”

The crowd waves American and Israeli flags, some of them also featuring the yellow ribbon that symbolizes advocacy for the hostages. Some wear other symbols of the fight for the hostages, such as dog tags or shirts reading “Bring them home now.”