Hundreds attend Mercer Island vigil and march in honor of murdered Israeli hostages

MERCER ISLAND, WA — West Washington residents pay tribute to six Israeli hostages murdered by Hamas over the weekend.

A vigil at Lid Park on Mercer Island on Monday included speeches, a march for the victims and a slogan condemning anti-Semitism.

Participants said they were terrified, outraged and angry about the ongoing war in Gaza.

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The event began with speeches in memory of the victims: Carmel Gat, Eden Yerushalmi, Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Senior Sergeant Ori Danino and Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin.

That turned into a march across the I-90 bridge. Some of the group that took part in the march, called Run for Their Lives, meets once a week for similar walks to raise awareness about the Israeli hostages in captivity for 332 days and the need to free them.

Speakers say it is a reminder for people to come together in difficult times.

“The uniqueness of the Jewish community is that we are one family. And when we feel pain, no matter what happens to us, anywhere in the world, we feel pain. And since October 7, we all suffer and are suffering because of those who were killed and murdered,” said Sara Eizen.

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KOMO News spoke with American Jewish Committee Regional Director Regina Sassoon Friedland. She said the pain of these tragedies is being felt across the U.S. by people connected to the hostages or those killed, and the Anti-Defamation League reports that anti-Semitic incidents have more than tripled since October. KOMO has covered some of these incidents — including property crimes against homes and businesses — in the Seattle area.

“We feel it here in many different ways. There have been many things that have been directed at people who are Jewish,” Friedland explained.