Dorene Kastelman, 68, a member of local “Run for Their Lives” groups, which advocates for the safe release of Jewish hostages in Gaza, appealed to Council, via comment period, for solidarity.
Several members of the organization’s Boulder chapter were hospitalized during a march, when a man, who yelled “Free Palestine!” used an incendiary device to set people on fire, June 1.
“Many of us in the Jewish community have wanted to have a way to come together and provide support in the community—to try to provide awareness that hostages are still being held by Hamas,” Kastelman told the Los Gatan shortly after she spoke, explaining the nonviolent nature of their approach to advocacy.
“It’s a walking group,” she said. “And we have photos of hostages.”
Because a discussion on the subject was not on the agenda, Council would not be allowed to take any action during the meeting, based on her request for a letter of support.
Her husband, James Kastelman, 67, said they went to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 massacre. They toured the site of the Supernova Sukkot Gathering massacre and visited other impacted locations.
“It was very solemn,” he said.
“We were there to really get to know different parts of the community,” Dorene said, adding it was heartening at that time to see people with diverse views—even ones she disagreed with—out on the streets of Israel, expressing their opinions about how the country should respond to the Hamas operation.
And as someone who worked on a burn unit in Santa Clara County, Dorene has a pretty good idea about the sort of the pain the Boulder victims are dealing with.
“This was incredibly cruel,” she said. “Some of the people had deep burns.”
The couple says, at this time, there is not strong support within their movement to pressure Benjamin Netanyahu, the president of Israel, to resolve the war against Hamas.
But, she added, they haven’t been advocating for pro-Israel political positions, either.
They mainly want people to keep those in captivity front-of-mind.
“Hostages are kept in horrific conditions,” James said.
Dorene believes the attack in Colorado highlights a concerning rise in antisemitism in the United States.
“That’s why there’s feelings of fear in our communities,” she said.
Shortly after making these comments to the newspaper, Council was locked down because someone with an air-powered gun that looked like a rifle was spotted nearby.
The man was arrested relatively quickly, and police said the suspect did not appear to be trying to cause any sort of political or religiously-motivated violence.
