Hundreds of people gathered today in Lafayette, California, for a vigil held in commemoration of 100 days in captivity for Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas.
For the last 100 days, a small group of local citizens has gathered on the overpass daily, waving Israeli flags and holding posters of the kidnapped individuals. Several of those kidnapped originally hail from the Bay Area.
In commemoration of the hundredth day of captivity, and in solidarity with the hostages, a much larger group organized an event on the El Curtola overpass today.
An estimated several hundred people attended the event. Attendees at the vigil held torn posters of each hostage, waved American and Israeli flags, and sang Hebrew songs.
The vigil also corresponded with Martin Luther King Jr. Day, connecting Dr. King’s message of hope and tolerance with the attendees’ message.
As the organizers of the vigil told the Bay Area Telegraph, the vigil is not a political group. Attendees ranged from strong supporters of the Israeli government to those who stood in protest against it. The goal of the vigil, the organizer said, was to stand in solidarity with hostages taken by Hamas.
Several local organizations attended the vigil and brought out members in support.
The organizers intend to continue the vigil for as long as the hostages are still in captivity. Several organizers have direct family ties to hostages taken by Hamas or those killed on October 7.
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