BOCA RATON, Fla. — An event in Boca Raton aimed to outshine the negativity and heartbreak coming out of the Middle East.
The Florida chapter of the Anti-Defamation League hosted an anti-hate walk Sunday where participants used this event as an opportunity to raise awareness about people being held hostage by Hamas.
Dozens of people held onto flyers or clipped them onto their clothes as they walked.
The flyers included images and details about people who are believed to be held hostage by Hamas, and a QR code that would take you to this site.
Although ADL did not provide these flyers themselves, they say they still stand with the people of Israel.
“We’re incredibly concerned about this,” Sarah Emmons, regional director for ADL, said. “Actually, community members came out today from a separate effort who actually brought these to our walk today to raise awareness about the fact that there are still so many hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza strip.”
About 400 people of all ages came out to walk against hate Sunday morning at the Spanish River Library.
ADL said they want participants taking steps to move towards a future without antisemitism, racism and hate of all kinds through these family friendly walks. Several local synagogues also participated.
The organization said they had this event planned for months, but the recent conflict pushed them to add different stations and activities to raise awareness about what’s going on in the middle east.
"It was really important for us today to bring even more people together to walk in unity," Emmons said. “Really, what this walk is all about is coming out to say that we want a community that’s free of hate for all people. For the Jewish people, for the people with Muslim backgrounds, other backgrounds… we just want to see a community where folks are inclusive and safe and get along.”
Money raised from the walk will go toward more education campaigns focusing on fighting antisemitism.
