Jewish Voice for Peace demonstrators hold Minneapolis protest calling for cease-fire in Gaza
The activists blocked traffic on the Franklin Avenue Bridge with a 7-foot-tall menorah
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A small group of demonstrators with the group Jewish Voice for Peace marked the eighth night of Hanukkah Thursday night with a protest calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
Nine activists with the group stood shoulder-to-shoulder on the Franklin Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis, holding electric candles in the shape of a menorah and stopping traffic.
Organizer Leah Soule says the fighting needs to end immediately to ensure a lasting peace in the region.
"Hanukkah is all about the miracle of light persisting, and our strength will persist to fight for freedom and dignity for all and for the end of violence in Palestine by the Israeli government," she said.
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Demonstrations were held by Jewish Voice for Peace activists in a handful of cities across the United States, including Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Ore. and Washington, D.C.
"I'm heartbroken for the people who've lost family and for those who lost their lives on Oct. 7,” Soule said. “And for me today here, I'm focusing on what I can do to end further violence and that is to call for a cease-fire and to call for an end to aid to the Israeli military."
The Oct. 7 Hamas attack left at least 1,200 Israelis dead and the country's military is continuing to retaliate.
The Israeli military's effort to destroy Hamas has led to the deaths of at least 15,000 Palestinians and a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
