Three days after a terror attack injured at least 15 people gathered for a peaceful walk supporting Israeli hostages, state and local officials, interfaith leaders and residents packed the square in front of the Boulder County Historic Courthouse — just steps from the site of the attack — to deliver a unified message: Antisemitism has no home here.
“Several of the most badly injured and burned survivors are members of my congregation, people I’ve known for over 20 years,” said Rabbi Marc Soloway of Congregation Bonai Shalom. “The whole Jewish community is reeling, shocked that this hideous hate crime could happen right here in downtown, beautiful Boulder, Colorado.”
The Wednesday gathering — described by organizers as a “moment of unity” — featured Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Boulder Mayor Aaron Brockett, members of city council, county commissioners and other clergy from Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities. It came in response to a targeted act of violence that shook the community’s sense of safety.
“I want to be very clear that the Boulder Run for Their Lives’ walk is on behalf of the hostages and only the hostages,” said Rachel Amaru, who organizes the weekly event. “We never, ever expected what happened here to have happened to us.”
On Sunday, 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman allegedly threw two Molotov cocktails at participants in the march while shouting “Free Palestine,” according to federal prosecutors. Authorities say he planned the attack for at least a year, told investigators he wanted to “kill all Zionist people” and would do it again. He is being prosecuted for a federal hate crime.
Among the speakers was Ed Victor, a participant in the march who, with the help of others, helped extinguish flames on the most badly injured victim.
“I’ll tell you that when someone is on fire, it takes too long to put them out,” he said. “Whether it took one minute or two minutes, I don’t remember, but I know it took too long.”
Polis condemned the attack as “an assault on the very core of who we are.”
“There is nothing more American more cherished than the right to peacefully make our voices heard,” he said, “and that means proudly expressing our identities, our beliefs, whatever they are.”
Mayor Brockett called it not just an act of violence, but “an assault on the very values that define our City of Boulder.” He vowed the city would “not allow this to silence voices of peace.”
“We will increase security when needed, but we will not sacrifice the openness and accessibility that makes Boulder special,” Brockett said. “Boulder does not break. Boulder does not surrender to violence or fear. Boulder rises.”
Interfaith leaders, including Reverend Mary Kate Réjouis of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and Imam Nader Elmarhoumi of the Islamic Center of Boulder, also addressed the crowd. Elmarhoumi urged those present to imagine what might have happened if the attacker had chosen to join the walk instead of attacking it.
“Maybe the outcome of that would be that we would all be walking in this very beautiful place, for the release of hostages and prisoners on both sides,” he said. “Isn’t that what we all want?”
The gathering also cast a spotlight on growing concerns over rising antisemitic rhetoric in Boulder, particularly during recent city council meetings. Councilmembers have reported feeling unsafe amid personal attacks.
“The hate speech, including in our city council, must stop,” Soloway said. “Demonization of others must stop.”
Officials and community leaders emphasized the importance of how Boulder chooses to move forward in the wake of the attack.
As Brockett told the crowd: “We will be defined by how we respond — with compassion, with unity and with an unwavering commitment to justice and peace.”
