Israel supporters rally outside Columbia University to keep focus on remaining hostages

• Published date: 26 April 2024
• Author: HANNAH SARISOHN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Less than 50 meters away, behind the university's gates which have remained closed to the public for almost a week, the Gaza Solidarity Encampment remains standing on a portion of the campus lawn

The protests on Columbia have disrupted campus life while inspiring a mass protest movement at colleges and universities across the country.

The New York Hostage and Missing Families Forum organized Friday's rally and speakers which included Or Gat, brother of hostage Carmel Gat; Leat Unger, a Columbia alumna and cousin of hostage Omer Shem-Tov; Dana Cwaigrach, a leader of the Hostages Families Forum and a graduate student at Columbia and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

Omer Lubaton-Granot, who has led the Forum since October 7, is also a Columbia graduate student.

"There are still 133 hostages that are held by a terror organization for more than 200 days," Lubaton-Granot said. "And we are here to remind everyone inside, everyone outside, the media that is here and for all of us, that we need to bring them home."

Remarks made by family members of hostages

Or began his remarks by apologizing to his 39-year-old sister Carmel for the "living hell" she's enduring in Gaza.

"I am sorry that you were abducted to Gaza. I am sorry that you saw the body of her mother after they shot a bullet in her head," Or said. "You probably feel that everyone gave up on you."

Now there is a slight opportunity to fix it all as we know the conditions for a deal and what needs to be done, Or said.

Or said there now an agreement between 18 countries that have hostages in Gaza in calling for Hamas to release them.

"It's possible, and it's possible to do it now before another one gets killed. We're sorry that we haven't succeeded. We're doing everything," Or said. "We're waiting for everyone to see the value in life right now. That's why we're here right now."

Or's sister-in-law Yarden Roman-Gat was also taken hostage and released during the first ceasefire.

"She came back after 54 days to her daughter, Geffen, three and a half years old. She waited for her mother, she's now waiting for her aunt and a grandmother who is not coming back," Or said. "We need to bring them back, now. It's possible as Yarden came back. Please help us do it now."

Mark Levine addressed the crowd in Hebrew before saying in English that despite the culture war which has broken out at Columbia - and across the city and the world - there's been little mention of the remaining hostages.

"Where is the global...