Latest news with #ShiraWeiss
Epoch Times
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Group Targeted in Boulder Attack Undeterred as Support Builds, Leader Says
The group victimized in an anti-Semitic attack plans to return undaunted to the scene of the Boulder, Colorado, firebombing—and is emerging stronger worldwide, an organizer said. 'Leaders are going to go out this weekend and hold their regularly scheduled walk, maybe with more security,' Shira Weiss, global coordinator of the 'Run for Their Lives' group, told The Epoch Times. The group was formed shortly after the Hamas terrorist ambush of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, launching the Israel-Hamas War. As the war persists, more than 50 people remain captive, Weiss said, and the apolitical, nonpartisan group has gathered weekly ever since. 'Unfortunately, this awful event and attack has actually strengthened the initiative ... and we've actually gotten a really big uptick in new people wanting to stand up new chapters,' Weiss said, noting the group includes more than 230 chapters worldwide. The Boulder attack marked 'the first-ever attack on any of our groups,' she said. Initially, the group 'paused all walks' while organizers evaluated safety considerations, Weiss said. 'Once we figured out that it was an isolated incident, we allowed the group leaders to resume their walks if they wanted to,' she said. Run for Their Lives has received an outpouring of support, Weiss said, with many people urging the organization to continue its work. A Denver group has planned 'to walk in solidarity' with the Boulder group on Sunday, she said. Some news coverage of the group's activities has been inaccurate, she said. 'I wouldn't even call it a 'march,'' she said. 'It's literally a walk of about 20 minutes,' sometimes sandwiched between a few short remarks. For example, participants 'might read the names of the hostages,' or profile one of them and 'tell the story of who they are and where they came from,' Weiss said. The walk in Boulder on Sunday will be followed by the 30th annual Boulder Jewish Festival, according to an The festival and the Run for Their Lives observance will be held at the city's Pearl Street outdoor mall, where an Egyptian national was arrested for allegedly injuring more than a dozen people with explosives and a makeshift flamethrower. The defendant, Mohammed Sabry Soliman, 45, is Attendees can expect 'a thoughtfully reimagined version' of the festival, with 'enhanced security protocols,' the announcement said, adding, 'these are precautionary measures and not based on any known threat.' 'Our program and planned experiences will bring us together as a community at a time when nothing could be more important,' festival organizers wrote. 'We recognize that each one of us holds a range of emotions—from fear to pride, from anger to the joy of being part of the Boulder Jewish community. With this festival, we hope to provide the space and opportunity for all to show up authentically.' However, news of the planned Colorado gatherings comes as one of America's largest Jewish gatherings canceled its conference because of escalating anti-Semitic threats in Texas. On June 5, four days after the Boulder attack, organizers of The Israel Summit announced that its Dallas-area gathering 'has become the latest casualty of growing hostility toward public support for Israel in the United States,' according to a news release that David Friedman, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, Friedman said he had been scheduled to speak at the summit, and that more than 1,000 attendees were expected. 'Law enforcement was completely cooperative but the threats were of a nature that required cancellation,' Friedman wrote in his post. 'When [President Donald Trump] says we need to take our country back, this is a good example of what he means!' Friedman served as ambassador from 2017–2021, during Trump's first presidency.
India Today
06-06-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Colorado terror attack suspect could face over 600 years in prison if convicted
A man accused of attacking a Colorado march intended to raise awareness about hostages held in Gaza was formally charged in state court Thursday with multiple serious offenses, including 28 counts of attempted Soliman, a 45-year-old Egyptian national, could face more than 600 years in prison if convicted on all state charges. He also faces federal hate crime charges that could result in a life attack occurred during a peaceful walk organized by "Run for Their Lives," a global group dedicated to spotlighting hostages taken during Hamas' 2023 attack on Israel. Prosecutors allege that Soliman hurled Molotov cocktails at participants and shouted 'Free Palestine.' The incident injured 10 of the 15 victims, who ranged in age from 25 to 88. Three remain hospitalized. Soliman appeared in Boulder County court on Thursday wearing an orange jail uniform, shackled and behind thick glass. He acknowledged the judge's questions with nods but did not speak or enter a plea. His next hearing is scheduled for July have filed a total of 118 state charges against Soliman, including assault, use of incendiary devices, and animal cruelty, after a dog was injured in the officials said Soliman entered the US on a tourist visa in 2022 and overstayed it. His work permit has expired, making his presence in the country unlawful. His wife and five children were taken into custody earlier this week, though a federal judge has temporarily blocked their attack has rattled Jewish communities amid heightened tensions surrounding the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict. It follows another recent violent incident in which two Israeli embassy staff members were shot outside a Jewish museum in Washington, the violence, the movement targeted in the attack has vowed to continue. Shira Weiss, global coordinator for Run for Their Lives, said the group was stunned by the violence but is more determined than she initially advised chapters to pause their weekly walks, most chose to proceed. Around 80 per cent of chapters will hold events this weekend, including in Boulder, where the attack walk in Boulder will coincide with the city's 30th annual Jewish Festival, which will feature heightened security and spotlight the Run for Their Lives group. Interest in the organization has surged since the attack, with 20 new chapter inquiries and a growing number of Bajayo, who leads the Denver chapter, said all 50 of its members plan to join Sunday's walk in Boulder in a show of solidarity.
