LEILA FADEL, HOST:
A group raising awareness for hostages held by Hamas held its regular weekly march in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday. They held it exactly one week after an attack against members of the group. Rachel Cohen from the Mountain West News Bureau has the story.
RACHEL COHEN, BYLINE: On many Sundays since he moved to Boulder six months ago, Alon Dagan and his young family have walked with the local chapter of Run for Their Lives. The organization calls attention to the hostages still held by Hamas. It felt like they'd found their community.
ALON DAGAN: Seeing people walk, being a part of the walks, really made us feel like we didn't have to hide.
COHEN: But that changed after a firebombing attack last week. Federal authorities charged Mohamed Sabry Soliman in an attack that injured 15 people. They say he shouted, free Palestine, and threw Molotov cocktails at peaceful demonstrators. Soliman faces a host of state and federal charges, including attempted murder and a hate crime. Dagan and his family were out of the country when the attack happened, and the texts started pouring in.
DAGAN: I mean, the first thing is to kind of - who was there? Are they OK? And then just sort of this shock of just coming to terms with the fact that this type of hate, unfortunately, has spread to so many corners of the world that it's really hard to feel safe.
COHEN: But he says the tragedy has also brought people together. Organizers say about 15,000 people gathered in downtown Boulder Sunday. It also happened to be the city's 30th annual Jewish festival.
DAGAN: We're not going to let even something so terrible take away our pride - our ability to persevere and to move forward with love.
COHEN: And on this Sunday, a much larger crowd than usual joined part of the regular route. They included people from the Denver chapter of Run for Their Lives, politicians and those who witnessed and were injured in the attack.
UNIDENTIFIED WALKERS: (Singing in Hebrew).
COHEN: When walkers reached the plaza near the site of the attack, they broke out into prayer and song. A rabbi read the Hebrew names of the victims.
UNIDENTIFIED RABBI: (Speaking Hebrew).
COHEN: Run for Their Lives organizers also used the event as a stage to reiterate their calls to return the hostages. Videos and speeches by their family members echoed from loudspeakers throughout the plaza. The focus on healing was new for the annual Jewish festival, which usually emphasizes culture. Jonathan Lev directs the Boulder Jewish Community Center.
JONATHAN LEV: It was more important than ever to come together and really have a moment to both experience the pain that we're feeling, as well as joy. And those two things are really important to bring together right now. We need it more than ever.
COHEN: There was a noticeable police presence at Sunday's event. Officers stood in the tight crowd, and snipers looked down from rooftops. Boulder resident Rachel Lederman found that distressing.
RACHEL LEDERMAN: You can't just celebrate who you are as a person without having to worry about being protected by guns and drones. You know, that's upsetting.
COHEN: Lederman didn't come to the festival last year, but said it was important to show solidarity after the attack. She said the scene felt joyous, too - children playing, art displays, food stands serving up shawarma and burgers, and music.
LEDERMAN: People are being very open and loving, and that's very Boulder.
COHEN: She went back to a small crowd dancing in a circle, holding hands, spinning and laughing.
For NPR News, I'm Rachel Cohen in Boulder, Colorado.
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